Defense, rookies hot topics in Raiders weekly mailbag

In spite of a big defensive game for the Raiders on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, Raiders fans still have questions about the defense.

They also inquire about rookies Bryan Edwards and Damon Arnette and a couple of young cornerbacks trying to make their move up the depth chart.

Here are some of the questions Vegas Nation received in this week’s Raiders mailbag.

MrNastyTYme503 (@MrNastyTYME503): How many 30-point games does our defense have to give up before we fire Paul Guenther!

Vincent Bonsignore: Not to make any excuses, but scoring is way up in the NFL this year. Defenses are simply not performing up to normal standards across the entire league. Without the benefit of a real offseason, a Raiders defense that was counting a number of new and young players was always going to be at a disadvantage.

As a result, the notion of firing the coach hasn’t really been under consideration.

That said, improvements are imperative, and to be fair that is exactly what happened on Sunday in Cleveland. The key now is keeping it up.

jason mckenzie (@34_raidersfan): Did Bryan Edwards practice? If so, how did he look?

VB: From what the media was allowed to see, Edwards looked ready to go and was bouncing around free and easy. In fact he looked explosive, athletically.

All signs point to him playing on Sunday against the Chargers, which will certainly create an advantageous situation for the Raiders, who will have their entire group of wide receivers available.

Scott Thompson (@ScubaScott11): Any chance we see more of LaMarcus Joyner at safety moving forward?

VB: Joyner will remain at slot cornerback. H gives the Raiders their best option at that position at this point. However, with Johnathan Abram back and the Raiders intent on utilizing him as a blitzer, expect Joyner to float around as a Swiss army knife-like defender able to line up at corner and safety.

PugetZulu (@PugetZulu): How much are Isaiah Johnson and Keisean Nixon developing? Given our injuries and losses from the practice squad, I would’ve thought they’d see more action.

VB: Johnson and Nixon have combined for 50 total snaps, 35 in pass coverage. So for now they appear to be low on the totem pole. With Damon Arnette a week away from returning, that will certainly cut into their playing time as well.

The Raiders value both players, though, and history is on their side. It takes time it takes to develop young cornerbacks. The ideal plan for both is to keep learning and developing and putting themselves in position to be assets when their numbers get called.

Rudy ||| Pirate flag (@rudyjimenez2420): Where’s Richie Incognito? Any updates?

VB: Incognito remains on injured reserve with an Achilles injury. But Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has indicated he expects his veteran guard back at some point. The good news is Denzelle Good has played so well in reserve, it’s lessened the urgency of Incognito’s return.

That means Incognito will be 100 percent when he does, which puts him in the best position to play the rest of the season. The Raiders need the nasty Incognito brings, but the key is making sure he is good to go for the long haul.

Jim Vivian (@NotWhoYouWas): How much can players on IR actually do at the facility before the team has to list them as “returned to practice” or designated for recall on transactions?

VB: They can essentially do everything but actually practice. So meetings and weight room work are allowed. Once a team designates a player to return to practice, the team has 21 days to determine whether to activate them to the active roster or keep them on I.R. They don’t necessarily have to take all 21 days, though.

coocuz (@cooocuz): How is Damon Arnette doing? Do you think he plays this Sunday or do you think he needs an additional 1-2 more weeks off?

VB: The Raiders rookie cornerback out of Ohio State was back at practice this week, coming off the fractured thumb injury that has cost him the last four games. He looked to be in great spirits and as physically fit as possible after missing so much time.

He did, however, have a protective bandage on his right thumb indicating a continuing issue with the injury.

As far as his return, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden indicated Arnette is likely one more week away from playing, which would put him in line to play against the Denver Broncos at Allegiant Stadium a week from Sunday.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore onTwitter.