The Las Vegas Raiders will have their hands full in Week 9 as they travel west to face the mighty San Francisco 49ers. And with the trade deadline coming up, which has raised questions about whether the Raiders will buy, sell, do a combination of both, or simply stand pat, plenty is going on right now.
So, for those of you who don't cover or follow this team for a living, some news may slip through the cracks as it fails to make its way into the big headlines. But we are prepared not to let that happen, so we're back with another Raiders news roundup.
We'll go over the final injury report for this Sunday for both teams, Dylan Laube's honor, some roster gymnastics John Spytek pulled off, and more. Use the table below if you want to jump around quickly or pick and choose the news that you want to consume.
- Final Raiders injury report for Week 9
- Final 49ers injury report for Week 9
- Dylan Laube earns AFC Special Teams Player of the Week
- Quick hitters
- Roster gymnastics
Final Raiders injury report for Week 9
Player | Position | Injury | Game Designation |
|---|---|---|---|
Thomas Booker IV | DT | Ankle | OUT |
Darien Porter | CB | Groin | Questionable |
Dont'e Thornton Jr. | WR | Back | - |
Foley Fatukasi | DT | Shoulder | - |
Ian Thomas | TE | Ankle | - |
On Friday afternoon, Klint Kubiak told reporters that Booker IV would be out against the 49ers and that Porter would be questionable. Both of those held true when the Raiders released the final injury report. Booker IV hasn't been a major factor this year, so Las Vegas is not really lost without him.
Porter, however, has been a solid starting cornerback for the Silver and Black, and with him out of the lineup, the Raiders would have to lean on rookies Zeke Masses and Jermod McCoy, the former of which has had his ups and downs, and the latter of which is supremely inexperienced at this point.
Final 49ers injury report for Week 9
Player | Position | Injury | Game Designation |
|---|---|---|---|
Mike Evans | WR | Ribs/Achilles | OUT |
Deebo Samuel | WR | Hamstring | OUT |
Christian Kirk | WR | Knee | OUT |
Demarcus Robinson | WR | Ankle | Questionable |
Nate Hobbs | CB | Adductor | Questionable |
Marques Sigle | SAF | Ankle | - |
Upton Stout | SCB | Shoulder | Questionable |
Siran Neal | SAF | Knee/Foot | Questionable |
Christian McCaffrey | RB | Hamstring | - |
Nick Bosa | DE | Knee/Calf | - |
The status of several key players for the 49ers was a talking point all week, but it sounds like two of the big ones - McCaffrey and Bosa - will be in uniform on Sunday. Evans is a big loss for San Francisco, though, and their wide receiver corps is a bit destitute without him, Samuel or Kirk.
Sigle and Stout are both key pieces of the 49ers' secondary, so without either of them, it could be open season for Kirk Cousins and a passing attack that may need to drag this entire Raiders team to victory in Week 9. Sigle's status was updated from questionable to no designation, however.
Dylan Laube earns AFC Special Teams Player of the Week
Laube earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors for Week 8, the Raiders announced. He is the first Las Vegas player to earn the distinction since Daniel Carlson did so in Week 18 of the 2021 NFL season. Laube returned 3 kicks for 144 yards and had a 95-yard kickoff return for touchdown.
His score was the first on a kick return this season. Laube continues to add to his Pro Bowl résumé.
Oh, and Brock Bowers got the Week 8 "NVP" from Nickelodeon... and the Raiders blessed us with this video of him receiving the award.
Quick hitters
Jakorian Bennett was released by the Philadelphia Eagles earlier this week, which gave Las Vegas a clear win in the Bennett-Thomas Booker IV swap. But Bennett visited the Carolina Panthers on Thursday and officially signed to their practice squad on Friday, so he has found another home.
The Raiders also announced their Week 9 captains: Jeremy Chinn, Brock Bowers and Darrell Luter Jr. Bowers was a captain in Week 4, but this will be the first time for Chinn and Luter Jr. that they have been elected this season, and the latter gets the nod against his former team.
Roster gymnastics
On Wednesday, the Raiders released Cody White to make room for Carter Runyon on the active roster. On Thursday, the Raiders waived Carter Runyon to make room for Cody White on the active roster. Yes, you read that correctly. But there was a reason for these gymnastics.
Runyon was at the end of his 21-day practice window, and Las Vegas had to make a decision with him, but putting him on the practice squad immediately is not an option. So, the Raiders released White, who would not be subject to waivers, to clear up the spot on the active roster for Runyon.
A day later, when teams are less likely to be active on the waiver wire, John Spytek waived Runyon and re-signed White, with the hope that Runyon would clear waivers and, at that point, would be eligible to sign with the practice squad. It was essentially a gamble to try to keep both players.
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