Today the Raiders removed tackle Trent Brown from their reserve/COVID-19 list for the second time this season. He had been on the list since November 5 after having just been removed from the list a week earlier. He returned to the list due to continued residual effects from having had the disease. Effects that had him hooked up to an IV, which in turn led to a mishap that had him rushed to the hospital.
Even with Brown taking to the practice field Wednesday, he is not expected to play in the team’s game in New York against the Jets. Likewise, cornerback Lamarcus Joyner’s status is up in the air as he too is coming off the list today.
Last week defensive end Clelin Ferrell came off the reserve/COVID-19 list. At the time Jon Gruden said he wasn’t sure if Ferrell would play against the Falcons last Sunday and indeed come the game, Ferrell was inactive.
Ferrell missing the was a surprise to many, just as it was when Brown spent two stints on the reserve/COVID-19 list. That’s because so many of us have become used to NFL players testing positive, being asymptomatic, and then returning good to go once they test negative. But the reality is, some of these guys have a rough go of it and it takes its toll on their bodies.
“It’s definitely been a tough last two weeks. Obviously finding out you got the virus. I was worried about the potential people I could have infected like my teammates or whoever could’ve had it. Thankfully I think it was me and LJ [Lamarcus Joyner] were the only ones who had it. So, that was tough, and obviously I had to deal with the symptoms. I wasn’t asymptomatic, like I had the symptoms and I was like ‘Woo, this thing is like really real’ you know what I mean?”
Ferrell first hit the practice field last Thursday. It’s difficult to stay in shape when you’re in the throes of a serious illness. So that process didn’t really start until last week. He says he’ll be back this week and is good to go.
As for Joyner, his status is still unclear. He is in what Gruden calls the “ramp up” period from having been out for more than two weeks. The same goes for running back Theo Riddick who came of the list today.
While the Raiders will not have all of the players on the field who were recently on the reserve/COVID-19 list, they no longer have any players on the list for the first time in a while. And that’s a very good thing.
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