The Las Vegas Raiders will be without Hunter Renfrow and Denzel Perryman for their game against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. Renfrow received a concussion on the final play against the Cardinals last week, while Perryman suffered an ankle injury in the season’s opening game.
According to the Raiders’ coach Josh McDaniels, it’s vital to build depth to a team’s roster to accommodate for situations where many players are injured. Therefore, McDaniels said this is why his team preaches “learn the concept, not one spot in the concept.”
“Because this could happen in the game, too, where all of a sudden you practiced it one way,” McDaniels said. “And then you have an injury or two and now all of a sudden you’re shuffling in the middle of the first or second quarter and you don’t have time to have a week of practice and four meetings before you have to go back out there.”
#Raiders LB Denzel Perryman (ankle) and WR Hunter Renfrow (concussion) won't play Sunday.
S Tre'von Moehrig (hip), DT Bilal Nichols (shoulder), DT Neil Farrell Jr. (shoulder), C Andre James (concussion) & RB Josh Jacobs (illnees) are questionable.
Jacobs isn't traveling today. https://t.co/eDIRYpmzD7
— Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) September 23, 2022
The Raiders may play All-Pro Davante Adams despite Keelan Cole being Renfrow’s backup, as revealed by Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.
After starting the year on the practice squad, Cole was added to the active roster on September 13. Cole said that he always keeps his head down and waits for opportunities.
“I just do my part, really,” Cole said. “That’s the thing — if you worry about everything else, you’ll never really get your part right.”
Also, while RB Josh Jacobs (illness) is officially QUESTIONABLE, he is not traveling with the #Raiders to Nashville today. https://t.co/oYuVXlzWAy
— Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) September 23, 2022
Raiders’ roster
Center Andre James returned on Thursday and was dressed in a red non-contact jersey after missing practice due to a concussion. He must complete the concussion protocol before being allowed to play on Sunday.
Free safety Tre’von Moehrig also participated in practice for the first time on Friday after suffering a hip injury in the first game of the season.
Meanwhile, due to illness, Josh Jacobs missed the last two days of practice sessions, while Bilal Nichols has returned to practice these last several days.
Brandon Bolden was sidelined with a hamstring ailment last week but has now participated fully on Friday. He wasn’t listed as injured for the Titans’ game. Ameer Abdullah, Zamir White and Brittain Brown rookies, as well as fullback Jakob Johnson, are the Raiders’ other three running backs.
Jermaine Eluemunor was out on the practice field as a full participant after being limited on Wednesday because of his hip injury. Rookie defensive tackle Neil Farrell Jr. is reportedly still struggling with his shoulder issue and was put as a non-participant during practice.
McDaniels revealed that the Raiders have faced a setback, especially in the backfield, but they aim to bounce back.
“Our depth in the backfield has already been challenged a little bit with a few things here and there injury-wise, and that’s why we usually carry that number of backs,” McDaniels said.
He asserted that he wasn’t sure how things would turn out, therefore he and the team would try to maintain their balance.
“We’ve always tried to do that and using those guys to the best of their ability in the right roles is going to be important,” McDaniels added. “So, we’ll see how it kind of shakes out this week.”
On the other hand, the Titans’ injury list includes LT Taylor Lewan, OLB Bud Dupree, DB Ugo Amadi, and OLB Ola Adeniyi. WR Kyle Phillips is listed as doubtful.