Raiders report: 7 players ruled out for Sunday’s game against Broncos
The Raiders listed seven players as out for Sunday’s game on their final injury report Friday.
Star defensive end Maxx Crosby wasn’t among them.
Crosby, who missed the first game of his career last week with an ankle injury, practiced on a limited basis Friday and was given a questionable tag ahead of Sunday’s game against the Broncos in Denver.
Coach Antonio Pierce, when asked about Crosby’s availability before Friday’s practice, said “we’ll see what he can do today.”
Crosby was not available for comment Friday. He said on his satellite radio show earlier this week he was hopeful he could play Sunday.
Wide receiver Davante Adams (hamstring), linebacker Luke Masterson (knee), tight end Michael Mayer (personal), right tackle Thayer Munford Jr. (knee/ankle), rookie cornerback Decamerion Richardson (hamstring), rookie safety Trey Taylor (knee) and running back Zamir White (groin) were ruled out Friday.
Right guard Dylan Parham (Achilles), wide receiver Tyreik McAllister (shoulder) and linebackers Divine Deablo (oblique) and Kana’i Mauga (calf) are considered questionable. All practiced on a limited basis Friday.
“It’s Week 5 in the National Football League,” Pierce said. “Just like everybody else, we’re battling, and we’ll see come Sunday who’s ready to go.”
On to Denver
Pierce said the situation with Adams, who appears to have played his last game for the Raiders, is not a distraction.
Adams has made it clear he prefers a trade from the organization. Pierce said he is allowing general manager Tom Telesco and the Raiders front office to sort things out. His attention is on the players that will be in uniform Sunday.
“I’m focused on the Denver Broncos,” Pierce said. “Getting my team ready, prepared to play. We’re excited about that. We’re ready for it. So, everything else will handle itself. I’ll handle the grass. Telesco will handle everything else.”
Increased role for rookie
Pierce said rookie linebacker Tommy Eichenberg will start Sunday with Masterson out.
“I think Tommy’s coming along,” Pierce said. “He’s a good complement to (linebacker) Robert Spillane. He’s really good for our defense. Smart kid. He’s hard-nosed, so we’ll go out there, he’ll make some rookie mistakes, but he does play 100 miles per hour.”
Eichenberg, a fifth-round pick out of Ohio State, has seen his playing time increase the last couple of weeks. He’s confident he can take on an expanded role.
“I’m ready,” Eichenberg said. “I’m coming along every day and learning something new every day. I just want to keep growing and keep learning. I really just want to help the team win. That’s all.”
‘Above the radar’
Defensive tackle Adam Butler said in training camp he was tired of being unheralded and underappreciated.
He didn’t want to just be the kind of player that gets compliments in the film room. He wanted to be discussed on all the sports talk shows.
He feels he’s starting to get there. He played 85 percent of the Raiders’ defensive snaps last week against the Browns and had a career-high six tackles.
“I’m going to do everything I can to stay above the radar,” Butler said. “Showing up for a few games is one thing, but being able to sustain it for a full season is another. That’s my goal. I want to sustain that.”
Pitching in
The Raiders had some special-team surprises last week, as star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins took Mayer’s spot on the field goal and extra point protection units.
“Yeah, one of your highest-paid players is the wing guy on PAT and field goal,” Pierce said, smiling. “That’s impressive because you worry about that, because that’s one of those deals where you’re always looking to make sure he gets up after every play. But just a team player, man. When your best players stand up and do the little things, how can the guy that’s at the bottom of the totem pole not do it?”
Wilkins said he volunteered for the role. He’s always been willing to contribute on special teams and believed he could help.
“It also gives me an excuse to run out on the field with the offense when they score,” Wilkins said, laughing. “So, that’s a lot of fun just to be able to celebrate with those guys.”
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.