Raiders backup QB doubtful for first preseason game

Raiders quarterback Marcus Mariota was not on the practice field on Thursday because of a sore leg, and coach Jon Gruden said his availability for Saturday’s preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks at Allegiant Stadium is in doubt.

Mariota tweaked the leg late in Sunday’s practice while running into the end zone for a touchdown on a zone-read option play. But Gruden doesn’t believe the injury is serious.

“We think it’s going to be fine in a few days,” Gruden said.

Prior to the injury, Mariota was enjoying a solid training camp. It was a departure from last year, his first season with the Raiders, when leg and pectoral injuries had an impact on his effectiveness.

Mariota spent most of last year on the injured reserve list as a result and wasn’t activated until Week 13. Mariota’s only action came against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15 when he came off the bench, completing 17 of 28 passes for 226 yards and one touchdown while running for 88 yards and a touchdown.

Mariota has looked much better in his second training camp with the Raiders and is positioning himself for some sort of role, including as a change-of-pace option.

“He’s had really good practices,” Gruden said.

It is typical for the starting quarterback to play minimally, if at all, in the preseason opener, which means plenty of playing time for the backup. The Raiders have not disclosed starter Derek Carr’s status for Saturday, but it was expected that Mariota would get significant playing time before making way for Nate Peterman.

The Raiders added quarterback Case Cookus to the roster this week for preseason depth coverage.

The Raiders have a day off on Friday before taking the field against the Seahawks. The Raiders rebuilt offensive line could be in line to play a series or two, but Gruden has to weigh the merit of preseason snaps against potential exposure to injury.

Gruden did say Thursday he wants to get a look at rookie right tackle Alex Leatherwood and new center Andre James, among others.

“We’ve got some young players that are competing for jobs that need to play a lot,” Gruden said. “So we’re going to look at them.”

Because of COVID-19, the Raiders have moved camp from their long-time training camp home in Napa Valley to their practice facility in Henderson. The intense heat in Southern Nevada this time of year has presented various challenges, including 7:30 a.m. practices.

But it’s also resulted in Gruden and the Raiders training camp monitoring both their players and coaches physical conditions and making any necessary adjustments. Gruden canceled Wednesday’s practice as a reward for the Raiders’ hard work thus far but also to give some players a break.

It appeared to have the desired effect Thursday when the Raiders zipped through a highly spirited morning workout.

“We had a great practice today. A lot of energy,” Gruden said. “I liked that we took the coaches off the field. Sometimes changing the schedule is good for us.”

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