Raiders may have some bad news after Saturday’s practice gave the initial thought that everything was okay with one key player
The Las Vegas Raiders have some very good depth on the offensive line, with battles everywhere, and Caleb Rogers is one of those guys.
On Saturday, the Las Vegas Raiders had a bit of a scare at training camp. Offensive lineman Caleb Rogers left practice early with a trainer. He’s a key player who’s in a battle for the starting spot at right guard. So, his being injured would certainly be bad news.
The issue is that he said after practice on Saturday that he was fine.
“I feel great,” Rogers said in an evasive way after practice when asked how he feels after leaving with a trainer early. “Going into the second year, going to try as much as I can to not talk about myself. But it feels like the team feels ready and we’re headed in the right direction. I feel great. Again, just excited to continue to look to the next step, to continue to push each other to raise our standard of play and figure out who the best five are going to be.”
Now, on Monday, he was not at practice. The Raiders need him, but they also need him healthy. There’s not much information about what’s going on there, or even whether there is an injury and, if so, where it is. But he and one other big-time player were not at practice.
Raiders WR Dont’e Thornton Jr. was not at practice Monday
It appeared that Thornton also had a bit of an injury on Saturday. At least, it felt that way, but it’s hard to tell with some of these things. Monday confirmed that may have been the case. Thornton was not at practice, and that’s not a good sign. Usually, when reporters with boots on the ground report a player is not at practice, it means that player is inside the building working with the training staff. Thornton wasn’t seen outside.
The Raiders need a big season from Thornton in this wide receiver room. This is a room that has so many questions, like what are Jack Bech and Thornton in Year 2? They need someone to step up and be that WR1. Thornton has struggled at times this camp, but has also had some really good moments. You have to hope whatever injury he had, he’s okay. This gives Malik Benson, the sixth-round rookie, yet another shot at more reps.
