Raiders’ Trent Brown off COVID-19 list, may face Browns on Sunday

Trent Brown is off the COVID-19 reserve list and could be back in the lineup Sunday when the Raiders visit the Cleveland Browns.

Brown practiced Friday before the Raiders’ team charter departed, but coach Jon Gruden stopped short of saying his right tackle would play after being quarantined for the previous nine days.

“We don’t know, really. I want to find out what his wind is,” Gruden said in a video teleconference. “He had COVID-19, which is a serious deal. So we have to find out what his conditioning is. There’s a lot of other things that play into this as well.”

If Brown can’t play, the next man up is veteran Sam Young, who was limited this week in practice with a knee injury. Brandon Parker, forced into action last week against Tampa Bay, would play on the right side if Young’s knee is a problem.

Given that the weather in Cleveland calls for wind and rain, the Raiders would love to have the 6-foot-8, 380-pound Brown available for what could be a power matchup calling for a lot of running plays.

Brown contracted COVID-19 on the Tuesday following the Raiders bye week and spent nine days in quarantine. That was the same amount of time Maxx Crosby was sidelined during training camp. Defensive tackle Maurice Hurst (13 days) and cornerback Damon Arnette (17 days) took longer to pass the requisite COVID-19 tests required to be back in the building.

As a result of Brown’s positive test, four Raiders starting linemen — left tackle Kolton Miller, left guard Denzelle Good, center Rodney Hudson and right tackle Gabe Jackson — were unable to practice while under quarantine and kept up with the game plan via computer.

Although it’s a trait Gruden would rather not have to exploit, Brown has played pretty well with minimal practice time since joining the Raiders — including going beginning to end in a 40-32 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

“He’s a great player. He’s All-Pro. It starts there,” Gruden said. “What Rodney Hudson did last week with no practice, what Gabe Jackson, Kolton Miller and Denzelle did with no practice was stunning to me. But when you have really good players, some of them are able to get by with less practice time.”

Not that Gruden wants players to make a habit of missing practice.

“As a coach and a guy that’s really spent a lot of time in football, practice is very important,” Gruden said. “This is a team. Eleven men have to execute their assignments. There’s a lot of timing and a lot of details that go into it.”

Cleveland defensive end Myles Garrett, one of the best edge players in the NFL, practiced for the first time Friday with an ankle injury and was proclaimed good to go. Garrett’s presence is another reason having Brown would be beneficial considering he can line up on either side.

The Raiders will go to Cleveland relatively healthy. Rookie wide receiver Bryan Edwards is listed as questionable but could be inactive. He hasn’t played since Week 3 against New England with an ankle injury. Defensive end Arden Key is doubtful with a foot injury, meaning potential practice squad activations could include Datone Jones, Chris Smith or David Irving.

Irving was promoted to the 53-man roster for the Tampa Bay game but inactive. He was signed on Oct. 20 after being reinstated following an indefinite suspension for violating the NFL substance abuse policy and hasn’t played since 2018.

“David’s been out of football for a while, so he’s a work in progress,” defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said Thursday. “We’re trying to get his conditioning up and he’ll be ready to go whether it’s this Sunday or next Sunday, or two Sunday’s from now. We’ll have to make that decision.”

KARL JOSEPH REUNION

Safety Karl Joseph, a Raiders’ first-round draft pick in 2016 by Reggie McKenzie, is expected to start for the Browns after playing just 12 snaps last week against Cincinnati. Joseph was out with a hamstring strain the week previous against Pittsburgh.

Joseph was having his best season with the Raiders in 2019 until sidelined with a foot injury. He had two plays that led directly to wins — an end zone breakup of a Matt Stafford pass in a 26-24 win over Detroit and a leaping interception against the Los Angeles Chargers on the play he was injured.

The No,.14 overall pick became a free agent when the Raiders didn’t pick up his fifth-year option and he signed a one-year contract worth $2.5 million with Cleveland. The Raiders had Jonathan Abram returning from a torn labrum as a starter to go along with Erik Harris and free agent Jeff Heath. They also signed Damarious Randall, who was cut before training camp ended.

“I’m not going to make it about me,” Joseph told the Akron Beacon-Journal. “But who doesn’t like playing against their own team? Who wouldn’t want to make any big plays against their old team . . . I love all those guys over there. The staff, the players are like my brothers.”

Gruden said Joseph’s physicality is still evident.

“Still a real physical player. He has range on the back end and he’s got very good instincts,” Gruden said. “Contact player. I’ve always liked Karl and look forward to seeing him.”

ETCETERA

— The Raiders continued to work with wet footballs and receivers wearing gloves to simulate likely game conditions in Cleveland.

“It’s hard to simulate the cold. It’s hard to simulate the potential wind,” Gruden said. “When you live in Las Vegas, it’s hard to simulate Cleveland, Ohio.”

— Gruden was born in Sandusky, Ohio, about an hour’s drive from Cleveland, where his father was a high school football coach before moving on to college programs and the NFL.

“If you pick up the phone book, there’s actually some Grudens that live there,” Gruden said. “So that’s kind of cool. It’s the only phone book I’ve picked up where there are some Grudens. It would be nice to win a game in front of some fellow Grudens.”