Many Las Vegas Raiders fans were shocked to find out right tackle Trent Brown has been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list after testing positive for the virus on Wednesday. It could be frustrating to see Brown miss another game. Nevertheless, his health is more important than a football game and this conundrum isn’t a matter of who’s right or wrong.
What is the immediate aftermath of Browns’ positive test?
Tom Pelissero of NFL Media first reported the news and the immediate impact is that Brown will miss the Raiders’ Week 7 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Moving forward, this situation could play in two different ways. If he’s asymptomatic, he can return to the Henderson facilities after five days. Then, he has to test negative in back-to-back days. Brown’s status would change if he displays symptoms though.
If the tackle shows symptoms, he must wait for 10 days from the first time he demonstrated them and 72 hours since the last time he did. Regardless of how much time Brown misses, the organization didn’t let the rest of their starting offensive line in the practice facilities as part of their tracing protocol. Although it was done as a cautionary measure, it will be worth monitoring.
In the meantime, Kolton Miller, Gabe Jackson, Denzelle Good, and Rodney Hudson took a COVID-19 test on Wednesday. If it comes back negative, they will be able to practice. In the worst-case scenario, the Raiders will be without their starting offensive line against the Buccaneers. However, we shouldn’t speculate and jump to conclusions soon. If any of the players end up testing positive, the organization will adjust accordingly. It’s definitely not an optimal situation, but this is bigger than the game of football.
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The Raiders are concerned about Trent Brown as so should we
On Wednesday, head coach Jon Gruden had a sitdown with the media. He didn’t talk about the right tackle position or the impact Brown’s absence will have for the team against the ‘Bucs’. Instead, he said he was worried about him.
“I’m really more concerned about Trent, his health more than anything. This is COVID, and I am concerned about anything that has it or is near it.”
Fans invest a lot of time and it can be frustrating to see one of the team’s most prominent players miss another game after missing many with a calf injury. Brown has definitely not lived up to his contract, but there isn’t much we or the team can do about it. The Raiders are a better team when he’s in the lineup, but that’s not the point.
If you want to talk about the Raiders parting ways with Brown, do it in the offseason. Then, there will be a legitimate chance to discuss the merits of keeping or releasing him. For the moment, his health is more important. You could argue that he has been reckless and should have been taking care of himself, but that’s just getting into hypotheticals.
Some people have gotten COVID-19 in spite of taking appropriate measures. It takes just one person near another for the virus to spread and nobody is actively looking to get infected. Instead of questioning Brown’s passion for the game, we need to hope for his speedy recovery. The faster he gets better, the sooner he will be back on the field.
It could be frustrating to see Brown not take the field against the Buccaneers and even though the Raiders offensive line is better when he’s in the lineup, they have shown they can adapt to his absence. Let’s see how quickly he can return.
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Top Photo: Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group
