One of the stranger things that’s happened with the Raiders this season has been the absence of second year tight end Michael Mayer from the team. The former 35th overall pick showed up on the injury report Week four for what was being called personal reasons. And never returned.
On October 12, the team placed Mayer on the Non-football Illness list, which meant he would be out for at least four weeks.
That means this week’s game in Cincinnati would be the last he would have to miss, should be ready to return from whatever was causing him to miss time. Antonio Pierce gave an update Wednesday on Mayer’s potential return.
“I think we’re getting close,” Pierce said of Mayer. “I do think we’re getting close.”
The Raiders have a bye week following this week’s game, which would seem like an opportune time for Mayer to work his way back onto the field. The first game he’s be able to play in is the team’s Week 11 game in Miami on November 17.