Several games with various teams have been postponed this season due to positive results on COVID-19 tests. The Raiders had Trent Brown test positive and five other players were quarantined as a result from having had close contact with Brown.
Those players include the rest of the starters along the offensive line and safety Johnathan Abram.
Left tackle Kolton Miller, left guard Denzelle Good, center Rodney Hudson, and right guard Gabe Jackson had their five-day quarantine start on Tuesday which means they cannot return to the team until Sunday morning. While Abram had contact with Brown on Tuesday, so he would not be available until Monday at the earliest.
Despite this quagmire, the NFL has apparently decided NOT to postpone the Raiders vs Buccaneers game scheduled for this Sunday. In fact, they move it UP. It was originally scheduled for NBC Sunday Night Football, but the league moved it to a 1:05 pm game on FOX in case they needed to move it.
According to Raiders’ head coach Jon Gruden, the league will be keeping the game at an earlier time.
“We’re going to play Sunday at one o’clock they tell me and we’ll be ready to go,” Gruden said Friday over video conference call.
Gruden sounds confident his line will be back by the game and will be fully prepared despite not practicing all week.
The expected starting line has been doing their meeting virtually of which Gruden said “You can still get a lot of work done.”
Not only are most teams used to doing a lot of their work virtually due to the pandemic, but the Raiders are used to making do without Trent Brown, even though they’d rather not.
“We played four games without Trent,” Gruden added. “We’ve used four different right tackles, so we’re experienced at adjusting and we’ll have a right tackle that’s prepared and ready to play.”
As it happens, the only player expected to start this Sunday along the Raiders offensive line who has practiced this week is Sam Young who will likely start at that right tackle spot. He’s started one game this season.
[vertical-gallery id=74750]
[lawrence-newsletter]