Receiver depth takes hit
Holmes out 3-4 weeks with broken hand, report says
NAPA — The Raiders’ wide receiver depth may be tested at the start of the season.
Andre Holmes, the Raiders’ leading receiver last year, has a fractured hand that will sideline him 3-4 weeks, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Raiders didn’t confirm the report, and coach Jack Del Rio did not meet with the
media Wednesday. Holmes appeared to get hurt when he was taken to the ground by Dexter McDonald after catching a pass during team drills in Sunday’s practice. He left the field shortly after.
While Holmes paced Oakland with 693 receiving yards last season, he figures to be no higher than the No. 3 option this season and is fighting Rod Streater and Kenbrell Thompkins for that role.
Determining the final roster spots at receiver could be among the toughest choices for Del Rio and general manager Reggie McKenzie, even if Holmes’ absence temporarily decreases the depth. Brice Butler, who played in 15 games last season, had six catches and a touchdown in the exhibition opener against the St. Louis Rams. Seth Roberts, a practice squad player last year, caught four passes and has had a nice camp.
“It’s a battle,” quarterback Derek Carr said of the receiving corps, “and it’s going to be up to the coaches and Mr. McKenzie to decide who fits where and what they want.”
Del Rio, who has made it a policy to not disclose any information about injuries, denied Tuesday that Holmes’ absence from practice was related.
“I don’t know that anything directly from that fall is causing anything,” Del Rio said of Holmes. “He’s a guy that will bounce back in short order.”
If Holmes returns on the short end of that reported timeline, he could be back for the Sept. 13 opener against the Cincinnati Bengals.
But if he were to miss a game or more, it increases the importance for a successful return of Streater, the team’s leading receiver in 2013 who missed most of last year with a broken foot and the first 11 days of camp with an undisclosed illness.
There’s also the question of rookie tight end Clive Walford. He missed the first nine practices with a hamstring injury but returned last week and caught two passes in Friday’s preseason game. He hasn’t practiced since, missing his third straight day Wednesday, although he was riding an exercise bike at the end of practice.
Trindon Holliday n showed off the two sides of himself in the exhibition opener. He muffed a kickoff and had to kneel on it for a touchback but later reeled off a 22-yard punt return.
“He’s got incredible talent,” special teams coordinator Brad Seely said. “He’s always got to work on ball security. That’s always been a situation where he’s got to improve on, and he knows that.”
Taiwan Jones returned the only other kickoff and took that back 27 yards. Jones also is one of the team’s top special teams coverage players.
“He’s one of the better special teams players in this league because, No. 1, he’s tough, No. 2, he’s extremely fast, and No. 3, he wants to be a good player,” Seely said. “If you have all of those things all converging, you’re going to have a good football player.”
Trent Richardson said n when he made his training camp debut that he wanted to play special teams. His involvement hasn’t all been smooth, but it’ll be important for Richardson to contribute in that area.
“He’s getting back in the flow of things,” Seely said of Richardson. “He’s always been a lead back on teams that he’s been on — whether he is that or not here, I don’t know that yet — but up to this point, he’s going to be a guy that if he’s going to have a role on our team, he’s going to have to play on special teams and have a successful role.”
Cornerback Keith n McGill and receiver Kris Durham both missed their first practice of camp for undisclosed reasons. Linebacker Sio Moore, running back Roy Helu Jr. and fullback Jamize Olawale all remained out but worked out on the side. Linebacker Josh Shirley returned after missing a couple of practices.
Rookie linebacker Ben n Heeney left for the locker room midway through Wednesday’s practice and did not return.