Raiders’ Gus Bradley: Desmond Trufant Has ‘A Chance’ To Play Vs. Eagles This Week

The Las Vegas Raiders brought in some defensive reinforcements earlier this week in the form of cornerback Desmond Trufant. Trufant is in his ninth NFL season but is already on his third team of the year. He was signed and released by the Chicago Bears during the offseason, then played two games with the New Orleans Saints before being cut again.

He now joins the Raiders and defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, as cornerback remains one of the biggest needs on this team. On Tuesday, he signed with Las Vegas just five days before their next game against Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles.

After a few days of practice with Trufant, Bradley believes that he has a chance to see the field against the Eagles on Sunday. “Yeah, I mean he does have a chance this week. He’d be our third corner really anytime you’re in that position,” Bradley said of Trufant. “So, he’s another one that his skillset I think is really good.”

“We watched him from afar for many years and really liked him and when a situation like we are in, the ability for that recall and understanding some of the things we are doing defensively. Obviously, there is maybe a little bit different terminology, but he understands the system to where on short notice he can come in and make it look like football.”

If Trufant is a part of the team’s game plan for Sunday, that means it may be a more simplified plan. The Eagles run a pass-heavy offense, throwing the ball on 62.61% of all plays. That ranks 10th in the NFL, one spot behind the Raiders.

However, the Eagles have also stated their desire to run the ball and get Miles Sanders more involved. This could mean a better chance for Trufant to get quickly acclimated. In addition, the Raiders can move to 5-2 ahead of their bye week, meaning they can’t take too many risks with their personnel.

Based on what he’s seen in practice, Bradley clearly feels that Trufant is nearly ready to take the field. It will be interesting to see how it looks once the game begins on Sunday afternoon.

Rich Bisaccia excited about Maxx Crosby’s development

One thing that could significantly improve the fortunes of the Raiders defense would be the natural development of Maxx Crosby. The young edge rusher broke out last season and has only improved in 2021.

Bisaccia was particularly happy to see his performance thus far. “Yeah extremely exciting to see how he’s playing,” Bisaccia said. “It’s not a surprise to anyone because we’ve all got a chance to watch him practice and mature over the years that he’s been here. We loved him coming out of the draft and he’s had a big influence on me as well.