Las Vegas Raiders notebook: Who is Jon Gruden impressed with? Injury updates and more
Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden is impressed with rookie cornerback Nate Hobbs.
The former Illinois standout had an interception Saturday evening and nearly had a sack in the Raiders’ 17-16 preseason win over the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium.
“I’d like to say Nate Hobbs did a great job for us,” Gruden said. “We have a fine young defender there. He played nickel to start the game and did excellent there. And then we moved him outside. We had some corners where Damon Arnette couldn’t go tonight. Keisean Nixon went out early. He went outside, played very well, and made some impact plays. I don’t usually give out game balls for preseason victories, but Nate Hobbs got one tonight, well deserved.”
The Raiders selected Hobbs in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL draft.
Hobbs had 168 career tackles at Illinois with three interceptions and one sack.
Hobbs said he wants to help the team any way he can with his versatility by playing inside and outside.
“I feel like I’m gaining the coaches’ trust,” he said. “They trusted me to play multiple spots. I feel like when guys go down, we had a couple of guys go down today. They can throw me at the corner and fill in. It’s all about gaining trust.”
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Gruden said Hobbs exceeded his expectations and is encouraged.
“I’m really proud of him and really excited to see what he does in his future,” Gruden said. “We tried to summarize him a couple days ago. He has the it factor, he rarely makes the same mistake twice, he loves football, eats it up and he’s one of the energizers of our defense. He walked in here and has given us a lot of skills that we can utilize, certainly.”
Injury updates
Gruden provided some injury updates to his players.
▪ Linebacker Javin White had to exit the game because of a knee injury. He’ll have an MRI.
▪ Gruden said he’s concerned about linebacker Nicholas Morrow’s foot injury. He’ll be evaluated.
▪ Quarterback Marcus Mariota is suffering from a quad strain, Gruden said. He expects Mariota to play against the San Francisco 49ers on Aug. 29.
▪ Cornerback Rasul Douglas suffered an apparent injury and Gruden said “we don’t know how long Rasul is going to be out.”
▪ Gruden said guard Richie Incognito has a calf strain and “we hope he’s ready for the opener.”
“We don’t believe it’s serious, not an Achilles tendon related at all, but it’s a calf injury, Gruden said. “He’ll be out for at least a week or so.”
Up next
The Raiders will visit the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on Aug. 29 to wrap up the preseason schedule. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m., and will be shown in the Fresno area.
This story was originally published August 22, 2021 at 10:35 AM.
