THE OL UNDERSTUDIES

Injuries force backup linemen into star roles

Under normal circumstances, losing right tackle Trent Brown for a month for whatever reason would be reason enough for any coaching staff to panic.

For the Raiders, it was basically a ho-hum moment during a season when they’ve had to go deep into their depth chart to make up for all the injuries along their offensive line.

Brown was placed on the reserve/Covid-19 list for the second time this season and came not long after the mammoth-sized offensive lineman had to be rushed to the hospital following complications that arose from an IV injection. Air apparently entered into Brown’s bloodstream prior to Las Vegas’ game in Cleveland, which put him in immediate danger.

It was a surreal scene that played out in front of the rest of the Raiders players, coaches and staff.

“All of a sudden we come in and they’re wheeling him out and I’m like, ‘Bro, what is going on?’” quarterback Derek Carr said. “As a team we prayed for him, we made sure he was OK, his family because I’m sure they were scared to death.”

Brown made it through that scare but complications from the coronavirus landed him back on the Covid list for the second time this season.