The Raiders head into Week 12 in the same position they’ve been in for most of the first 11 weeks of the season — with uncertainty at the right tackle spot. The question each week has been if and when starter Trent Brown will return. That question remains. This time it’s when he’ll return from his second stint on the team/s reserve/COVID-19 list.
“Trent Brown’s status is still up in the air, and still hopefully about to get started here and resume his playing,” said Jon Gruden Monday.
Last week, Brandon Parker was the latest to step in at the right tackle spot, becoming the fifth player to line up there this season, including two guards Denzelle Good and Patrick Omameh.
The last time Parker stepped in at right tackle was week 8 against the Browns. As it happens, Trent Brown was supposed to start that game, but a pregame IV mishap had him rushed to the hospital and his replacement, Sam Young, left the game with an injury. Parker would end up playing most of the snaps after starting the day thinking he would be inactive for the game.
Shortly thereafter Trent Brown was placed back on the reserve/COVID-19 list due to residual problems from having caught the virus during the team’s bye week. He is still on the reserve/COVID-19 list and has yet to return.
In his absence, as well as that of left tackle Kolton Miller, who suffered an ankle injury three weeks ago, Parker has stepped up and shown progress he had yet to show in his third NFL season.
“He’s been a big, big reason why we’ve been competitive on offense,” Gruden said of Parker. “Like I said a couple weeks ago, he was at breakfast and he believed he wasn’t going to play and he got a game ball against the Browns. The next week he starts at left tackle. He played well against and he played at left tackle. Now he’s back over on the right side. Didn’t think he was going to start the game, but the day of the game Sam Young couldn’t go, so give it up for Brandon Parker.”
Parker has certainly outshone veteran Sam Young this season. And Young has had great difficulty staying healthy as well.
Ideally, of course, Brown would be able to return very soon, if not this week. Until that happens, you got to wonder if the team will go to Parker regardless of the health of Sam Young. They certainly want to see Parker continue to show the potential that had them trade up in the third round of the 2018 draft to get him.
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