Raiders offensive linemen Miller, Good, Hudson, Jackson cleared to face Bucs after COVID list stint

Kolton Miller, Denzelle Good, Rodney Hudson and Gabe Jackson all received final clearance to play for the  Raiders Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

That means quarterback Derek Carr will have four fifths of his starting offensive line intact when the Raiders (3-2) host the Bucs (4-2) at Allegiant Stadium at 1:05 p.m.

The clearance of the four players was reported by multiple outlets and confirmed independently by a team source. They were taken off the COVID-19 reserve list Saturday but didn’t receive final clearance until Sunday morning.

The four linemen last practiced on Monday, a light workout following a bye week. So did tackle Trent Brown, who tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday and won’t play as he remains on the COVID-19 reserve list. The same goes for safety Johnathan Abram, who has not tested positive but was in contact with Brown on Tuesday.

The difference between Abram and the four players who were cleared? The linemen had their last contact with Brown Monday. Abram had his last contact on Tuesday.

Determined at “high risk” by the NFL, players require five days of quarantine and testing before being able to play. The offensive linemen made it under the wire. Abram, the Raiders’ leading tackler,  would have been cleared only if the game had been moved to Monday or Tuesday.

Players designated as inactive Sunday were quarterback Marcus Mariota, defensive end David Irving, cornerback Keisean Nixon, wide receiver Bryan Edwards and guard Patrick Omameh. Mariota’s designation means Nathan Peterman remains the backup quarterback to Carr for at least this week.