Raiders report: Star running back misses practice

Raiders report

Schedule

All practices at Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center, unless noted:

Friday — Practice, 11 a.m.

Saturday — Off

Sunday — at Denver Broncos, Empower Field, 1:25 p.m.

Quote of the day

Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley is in his first season with the Raiders and therefore doesn’t have as deep of personal ties to Jon Gruden as most of the rest of the coaching staff.

But that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been a difficult week for him and his defensive assistants and players.

Bradley said he had been preparing for questions about his feelings before meeting with the media Thursday for the first time since Gruden’s resignation amid the leaked emails scandal.

“Heartache,” he said of the best word to describe his mood. “I know (Steelers coach) Mike Tomlin, and I saw he said something about saddened, and I think maybe that’s the best word to describe it. You’re saddened for everybody. The organization, for Coach (Gruden), for all the people involved.

“But at the same time, I think I was raised to always believe something good is about to happen, and sometimes that’s a challenge in a week like this, but that’s what we believe.”

Injury report

Starting running back Josh Jacobs missed Thursday’s practice because of a non-COVID illness. He was a full participant Wednesday.

Defensive end Carl Nassib returned to practice Thursday after taking a day off to process the events that led to Gruden’s resignation.

Nassib is the only openly gay current player in the NFL, and some of the language Gruden used was denigrating to homosexuals.

Bradley said Nassib was feeling better.

“He’s great,” Bradley said. “He’s been a great teammate, and I think things like this affect people differently, and we understand that part of it. But great communicator, and it was great to have him back. Whenever he comes back, he provides a little juice for us, and so he was great in meetings. He’s all caught up and ready to go.”

Defensive end Yannick Ngakoue got in a limited session after taking Wednesday off to manage reps. Tight end Darren Waller was a full participant after also taking a rest day Wednesday.

Defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson did not practice after getting in limited work Wednesday because of a back injury. Johnathan Hankins remained out with a hip injury. Johnathan Abram was downgraded to limited with shoulder and calf injuries.

Linebacker Cory Littleton was upgraded to a full session with his shoulder injury.

Moving on up

Typically, the players’ realm at the team facility is the first floor. That’s where the practice fields are, as well as the locker room, weight room, lounge, equipment rooms and meeting spaces.

The coaches are mostly upstairs in their offices when they aren’t with the players.

Offensive coordinator Greg Olson said there has been far more mingling this week as everyone in the organization tries to cope with the emotions of one of the most turbulent stretches in franchise history.

“There have been more players who have wandered up the stairway that just need a chance to talk to somebody,” Olson said. “And again, I can’t say enough about the character of players that we have established on this team in terms of that, being able to openly communicate and express their feelings and express their emotions. That has been part of this week as well. I wouldn’t call it a distraction. It’s life, and so many people are saddened by the pain that it’s caused so many different people, but you just keep moving on.”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.