The Oakland Raiders have gotten off to a 3-4 start and are in the mix for a postseason birth, but to this point, the theme of their season has been key players dealing with injuries.
As the Raiders get set to return home and host the Detroit Lions this weekend, they are once again dealine with some key injuries as neither of their centers, Rodney Hudson nor rookie backup Andre James practiced on Wednesday.
With that in mind, the Raiders will definitely be doing some shuffling on the offensive line. According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, starting left guard Richie Incognito is ready to go at center should head coach Jon Gruden give the call:
Incognito said playing center is a lot more cerebral. Last played there in 2010. “It’s kind of second nature and I embrace the challenge.” pic.twitter.com/bi37bQBBnb
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) October 30, 2019
Incognito has played guard for most of his career, but as mentioned, did play center in 2010 for the Miami Dolphins, so he is the obvious candidate if the team needs an emergency center.
Incognito only started one game at center in 2010 but did start 12 games at the position during his rookie season with the St. Louis Rams. He also spent most of his collegiate career at left tackle, so he has seen time at all spots on the offensive line.
The biggest concern will be whether he and quarterback Derek Carr will be able to find a rhythm. Hudson has been Carr’s starting center for every game the previous four seasons as well as all of 2019 so far. When Hudson went down went down with an ankle injury last Sunday against the Houston Texans, Carr seemed to have no trouble connecting with James. Hopefully, Carr and Incognito will have similar ease in connecting.
If Hudson and James are both unavailable for Sunday’s matchup with the Detroit Lions and Incognito slides to center, the Raiders will then have to fill the gap at left guard. Although their unofficial depth chart does not list a backup for Incognito, Jordan Devey and Denzelle Good have both filled in at the guard slots for missing starters. Devey was recently placed on the injured reserve list though, so it seems likely that Good would start at left guard should push come to shove.
The hope though, of course, is that one of Hudson or James will be healthy enough to play.
The post Raiders News: Richie Incognito Preparing To Play Center If Rodney Hudson Misses Game Against Lions appeared first on Raiders Nation.