Another setback for that Raiders’ reserve tailback
It’s been a rough training camp for Las Vegas Raiders backup running back Jalen Richard.
The Athletic reported on Thursday morning that the sixth-year tailback has a foot injury and is out indefinitely. While there aren’t many details yet, “indefinitely” is always a tricky and scary word when it comes to injury timelines.
If it is serious, Richard could be a candidate to go on the injured reserve. We will see what Raiders’ coach Jon Gruden has to say about Richard’s status when he next talks to the media on Saturday.
#Raiders RB Jalen Richard has sustained a foot injury and will be out indefinitely, sources tell @TheAthleticNFL. He missed the first few practices of training camp after being placed on the COVID-19 list and will now miss more time. Vegas has 5 other active RBs on the roster.
— Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) August 5, 2021
Richard returned to practice on Tuesday after missing the start of training camp while on the COVID-19 list. Now, he is dealing with this injury setback.
There has been speculation that Richard could have trouble making the 53-man roster, especially if he isn’t vaccinated, which he indicated he wasn’t in a tweet from his now-deleted Twitter account. It has been speculated around the NFL that teams may choose to keep a vaccinated player over an unvaccinated player for competitive reasons.
Theo Riddick retired last week and with Richard now out, the Raiders have four running backs in training camp: Starter Josh Jacobs, top backup Kenyan Drake, B.J. Emmons and undrafted rookie Trey Ragas. It wouldn’t be a shock of the Raiders add another running back on the 90-man rosters on if Richards’ injury is serious.
This is also a real opportunity for Ragas to make an impression and push for a spot on the 53-man roster.