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Raiders starting right tackle Trent Brown were ruled out for Sunday’s season finale against the Broncos in Denver with a knee injury.
Brown, who signed a four-year, $ 66 million contract with the Raiders ahead of the 2019 season, has only played four full games and three shots in another this season.
“It’s disappointing, without a doubt,” said coach Jon Gruden of Brown’s sporadic availability. “We brought him here and paid him to be the LeBron James in straight tackles, and he had a lot of adversity. He had a number of injuries and it hurt our football team, without a doubt. But that’s part of this activity.
Brown suffered the injury at the end of the loss to the Dolphins. He did not lack an offensive shot.
Over two seasons, Brown has played at least 10 shots in just 14 of 32 games with the Raiders. They are 6-8 when he hits that threshold and 8-9 in all other games with Sunday’s result pending.
Gruden has said Sam Young will start Sunday instead of Brown.
“We’ll be playing the next player, but hopefully Trent will come back and be ready to ride for next season,” he said. “Trent is a great player. … He just needs to be healthy and stay healthy.
Brandon Parker will serve as a replacement for Young and left tackle Kolton Miller. Gruden was pleased with Parker’s continued development in his third season.
Parker, a third-round pick in 2018, has had four starts this year.
“Brandon did well,” Gruden said. “Obviously he’s been having a hard time backing up the right tackle, pulling the left tackle back. This swing tackle is hard work. If something were to happen to Sam or Kolton, we feel like we have a young man in his third year who can help us win a game at either position.
Left guard Denzelle Good will wear a questionable designation in the game after not training all week with an ankle injury.
Gruden said rookie John Simpson will get the call if Good is unable to play.
“It (would be) a great evaluation for John, without a doubt,” Gruden said. “It’s not going to make it or break it, but we love Simpson.”
Defensive tackle Maurice Hurst (calf) and defensive back Lamarcus Joyner (thigh) are both questionable.
Security Erik Harris has been activated from the reserve / COVID-19 list.
Defense in the spotlight
Gruden insisted throughout the week to focus on winning Sunday’s game, even though both teams were eliminated from the playoff competition.
It’s also another chance for him and general manager Mike Mayock to assess some of the squad’s players ahead of an offseason where a lot of personnel decisions will have to be made.
Gruden also wants to see some of the younger players do a good job on the film before the season ends.
“I want to see (rookie cornerback Damon) Arnette play a game and play well,” said Gruden. “I want to see (security Johnathan) Abram play and play well. I want to see these young people (defensive backs) play and play well. (Linebacker) Nick Kwiatkoski obviously won’t be playing, so I can’t wait to see Nick Morrow return. He was arguably our best linebacker when he was on the field.
Jackson honored
Starting goalie Gabe Jackson has been named the Raiders’ recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award for the 2020 season.
The award is presented to the player on each NFL team who exemplifies their commitment to the principles of fair play and courage, as well as the player’s efforts off the field and in overcoming great adversity.
The winners are voted on by the players of each team.
Ed Block was a longtime head coach and recognized humanitarian for the Baltimore Colts.
Contact Adam Hill at [email protected]. To follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.
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