According to sources in a bit of breaking Las Vegas Raiders news, the defense will be short-handed following a tough loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport broke the story surrounding cornerback Anthony Averett. Rapoport stated via Twitter that Averett suffered a broken right thumb. His timeline for return is unknown at this time, though Rapoport mentioned that Averett could be out for a month, maybe more, meaning that a designation to the Injured Reserve isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
Raiders CB Anthony Averett suffered a broken right thumb, a source says, and he’s headed for surgery. Averett likely misses at least a month, which means he could be headed to Injured Reserve.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 12, 2022
Breaking Las Vegas Raiders News: What happens now at cornerback?
The cornerback group is now rather thin, not exactly what Raiders fans had in mind with the season getting underway. The decision to ship out Trayvon Mullen now comes into question. There was no way that general manager Dave Ziegler could’ve foreseen Averett’s injury, but the decision now in hindsight could come back to haunt the Raiders this Sunday. Mullen now suits up for the Arizona Cardinals, and given Derek Carr’s issues on Sunday, Mullen could show out. The other side of this story is what the Raiders do now with the cornerback position.
As it stands, the Raiders added veteran nickel corner Nickell Robey-Coleman. That would allow the Raiders’ coaching staff to move around Nate Hobbs, helping to cover different receivers, inside or out. Averett’s injury also signifies that we could see more of Amik Robertson in Week 2 alongside Hobbs and Rock Ya-Sin. With this new situation at the corner position, Graham’s scheme will once again be tested next Sunday. The injuries are already piling up for the Silver and Black.
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*Top Photo: Jose Carlos Fajardo/The Mercury News