The Raiders have had voluntary OTA practices this week, ahead of the mandatory minicamp in June. And while you can’t take too much away from these practices, it’s always worth noting who is and isn’t on the field.
One player that did not practice on Thursday was running back Josh Jacobs. According to Tashan Reed of The Athletic, Jacobs was at practice. But he did not participate in any of the drills.
As Reed noted in the piece, it’s not uncommon for the Raiders to limit the number of offseason reps for Jacobs. However, it is a tad concerning that he didn’t do any drills on Thursday.
The Raiders do not need to disclose any injury information in the offseason, so we won’t hear if Jacobs is dealing with an ailment any time soon. But the fact that he was at practice with a jersey indicates that he’s likely close to returning to the field.
Jacobs is entering the fourth and final year of his rookie contract as the team declined his fifth-year option just a few years ago. He is coming off his third-straight year of at least 1,200 yards from scrimmage, but he did have a career-low 872 rushing yards in 2021.
While it’s always a little bit concerning to see a star player not practicing, it’s important to remember that these are just OTAs and they are voluntary. Expect Jacobs to be back on the field and doing some sort of drills when the team reports for minicamp.