Raiders sent entire offensive line home due to COVID-19 precautions

The Raiders are in danger of losing the entire starting offensive line this week.

The Las Vegas Raiders are 3-2 and should be well-rested coming off a bye week. The team is home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week on Sunday night and have another chance to prove they are a contender.

There also comes some bad news. Offensive lineman Trent Brown was placed on the COVID-19 list. In addition, all five starting linemen were sent home as a precaution.

Raiders facing a potential disaster

Brown remains the only one actually on the list from the group. And of course, the first thought in this situation is for his health. The NFL knew positive tests would occur without a bubble and anyone dealing with severe complications from the virus would be terrible news.

The attention also goes back to the field and Sunday’s game. The linemen were sent home as a precaution, which is the right move. But what happens if there are more positive tests and the game remains on?

This is a question the NFL has to be prepared to answer, however, we have already seen the New England Patriots go without Cam Newton this season. It appears that if a team has enough healthy players and there is not a widespread outbreak, the game is on.

The NFL does have the advantage of testing all its players. That leaves the Raiders hoping for negative tests from the starting linemen to avoid a situation Sunday where Derek Carr plays behind a line of all backups. That would not be ideal with Ndamukong Suh on the other side of the line.

The health of Brown and all the players sent home is the most important thing. Being overly cautious never hurts and Raiders fans are hoping this is only a temporary scare.