Injured running back returns to Raiders practice

As one of only four unbeaten teams in the NFL, it would be logical to assume the Raiders have been playing effective football across the board.

But their three straight wins haven’t come without any red flags, and it can be argued all the trouble spots are connected in some way to their inability to mount a consistent run game.

The slow starts offensively. The failure to close out the fourth quarter against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

Hence, their reluctance to completely embrace their fast start as evidence they have completely arrived.

“No, we have to play better,” Raiders coach Jon Gruden said. “There is 3-0, and you can get all caught up in statistics and individual things like that. But when you look at the film, we got to play a lot better. We should play a lot better. We have to play a lot better. If we don’t, we are going to have a hard time advancing and moving.”

Starting faster and closing out the fourth quarter better are among the focus points.

Both issues are in part related to a choppy run game that has produced just 91.3 yards per game, which is 25th in the NFL.

Which is why the return of running back Josh Jacobs to practice on Thursday could be a big deal. Jacobs has missed the last two games with an ankle injury. His presence on Thursday could put him on track to play on Monday against the Los Angeles Chargers.

If so, it might inject life into a run game that has not been able to get out of second gear for any significant length of time.

Nevertheless, with four days standing between the Raiders’ visit to Los Angeles and Jacobs having already missing two weeks of practice, they are not assuming anything about his status. In fact, given the nature of the injury, while they are holding onto some hope they are also preparing to play without him.

“Yeah, he was out there. But is he full? Can he run?” Raiders quarterback Derek Carr said. “I don’t know. Hopefully. We’ll see. But we’ve been hoping for a couple of weeks now.

Added Gruden: “We’ll have to see how it goes in the next few days. I would say it’s really questionable, his status right now.”

If Jacobs can’t go, it opens a bigger door for backup running back Peyton Barber, who came to life in the second half against the Dolphins and finished with 111 yards on 23 carries. His 4.8 yards per carry helped lift the Raiders from the 2.8 yards per carry they averaged in the first half to 4.0 yards for the game.

In his short time with the Raiders, Barber has become a favorite in the locker room and on the field.

“He’s going to take advantage of every opportunity he gets and you’re going to have a hard time not liking him,” Gruden said. “And right now, I love him. So do our players and our coaches. We’re not going to hesitate one bit to put him in a primary role after what he did against the Dolphins.”

Nevertheless, the Raiders need Jacobs back as soon as possible. As their featured back since drafting him in the first round in 2019, Jacobs has produced two straight seasons of 1,000 or more yards rushing. And with the Raiders’ offensive line still a work in progress, his ability to make things happen at the line of scrimmage has been missed over the last two games.

Good sign, then, that he appeared to be moving around fairly well during the open segment of practice Thursday.

The Raiders on Thursday also designated Jalen Richard to return to practice from the injured reserve list, where he has spent the first three weeks of the season because of a foot injury. The Raiders have up to 21 days to decide whether to activate Richard.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.