Raiders rookie Trayvon Mullen set to play against Broncos
ALAMEDA, Calif. — After leaving the field at Dignity Health Sports Park on a stretcher during last Sunday’s game against the Chargers, rookie cornerback Trayvon Mullen is set to play in this Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Broncos.
Mullen, a rookie cornerback out of Clemson, sustained an inadvertent violent hit from teammate Curtis Riley in the fourth quarter and was evaluated at a nearby hospital in Southern California. But he was cleared to fly back on the team charter, an early positive sign of his prognosis.
Following Friday’s practice, Mullen said one of his priorities after leaving the field was getting word back to his family that he was OK. Once he did that, he began focusing on getting back to the field in order to play a game that could help land the Raiders in the postseason.
“(Just) for the position that we’re in, a lot of things are on the line, I think it’s real important for me to be out there and play with my teammates,” Mullen said. “If this (were) the last game or not, I just want to be out there with those guys.”
Coach Jon Gruden credited Mullen for working through his recovery to be able to practice and play.
“I mean, there’s little things here and there,” Mullen said. “But I know I can be able to go out there and play if anything.”
Since taking over as a starting corner in Week 8, Mullen has impressed his teammates and coaches with his improvement. In 15 games, Mullen has recorded one interception and nine passes defensed.
“He’s playing real good,” defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said. “He’s understanding each and every game plan is a little bit different. His technique has been real good. He’s been tackling real good and I think he’s only going to get better. It’s a good pick up for us and he’s going to have a bright future here.”
Mullen played 31 percent of the defensive snaps against the Broncos in the Week 1 contest, but says he feels like a much different player now.
“Well right now, I feel like teams that play against me, I feel like they know they’re going to have to bring it,” Mullen said. “Beginning of the season playing against Denver, I was fresh out there — trying to make plays, doing things out of the ordinary. But now, knowing the system better, knowing how to just play fast and use the right techniques in the right situations, I feel like I’m just going to dominate.”
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Contact Myles Simmons at msimmons@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350. Follow @MylesASimmons on Twitter.