HENDERSON, Nev. — While the Las Vegas Raiders activated right tackle Trent Brown, defensive back Lamarcus Joyner and running back Theo Riddick off the reserve/COVID-19 list on Wednesday, coach Jon Gruden was not sure whether Brown would play Sunday at the New York Jets.
Brown, who signed a record four-year, $66 million free-agent contract with the Raiders in 2019, has played in just two games this year — three snaps in the season opener at the Carolina Panthers and at Kansas City on Oct, 11 — and has had two stints on the reserve/COVID list. He was slated to play at the Cleveland Browns on Nov. 11 but a scary pregame mishap with an IV being administered has sidelined him since.
“[Brown] did participate in individual periods, which is a good sign,” Gruden said of Wednesday’s practice. “I don’t believe he’s going to play in this game, but hopefully we can start talking about him returning to the lineup soon.
“There’s a ramp-up period, when you return off of corona IR, whatever that thing is, so we ramped up Joyner. We’ll try to ramp him up again tomorrow. We’ve been ramping up Cle Ferrell and I’m trying to ramp up Raider Nation right here today.”
Ferrell, the defensive end who was on the reserve/COVID-19 list from Nov. 17 through Nov. 26 and missed the Raiders’ losses to the Chiefs and Falcons, said he thought only he and Joyner had the virus.
“Whew, this thing is really real,” Ferrell said of the symptoms he suffered. “That was pretty crazy.”
Gruden also said defensive tackle Maliek Collins will be going on short-term injured reserve
Collins, who was one of the Raiders’ big-ticket free-agent signees this offseason, was called the “key” to the defense by Gruden in training camp. But Collins has not made much of an impact.
“I’m not going to get into the injury yet, I just know he’s had some shoulder problems,” Gruden said. “He’s had a number of issues. We’re going to shut him down for a few weeks, try to get him right and, hopefully, have him some point here before the season’s over.”
Defensive tackle Maurice Hurst also missed practice on Wednesday with ankle and calf injuries.
“We’ll have to find some help from someplace,” Gruden said. “If you know somebody, call me.”
Collins, 25, signed a one-year $6 million contract, with $5.75 million guaranteed, with Las Vegas after four years with the Dallas Cowboys. He has started all 10 of the games in which he has played — he missed the Raiders’ win at Kansas City on Oct. 11 with a shoulder injury — and has just six tackles with no sacks and one stuff, for two yards.
He was expected to jell immediately with incoming defensive line coach Rod Marinelli, due to their previous relationship in Dallas.
“Three-technique, you got to be the dog,” Collins said in camp. “You got to be the key. He has to establish things with his get-off. I mean, Keith Millard, that was the first one that I was introduced to from Marinelli. And then John Randle, of course, Warren Sapp. After that Marinelli went to Chicago, so he had Tommie Harris and Henry Melton and then Dallas with Tyrone [Crawford] and then I came in.
“Not to say that I’m on their level yet or anything like that, but those are the people that I strive to be like or be more like.”
After the Raiders (6-5) play at the Jets (0-11), Las Vegas has three straight home games — against the Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers and Miami Dolphins — before closing out at the Denver Broncos.
Collins should be eligible to return for the Raiders’ final two games.