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ALAMEDA — A procedure on his left leg on Chirstimas night which was self-reported by running back Josh Jacobs will have no bearing on whether the rookie is ready to face the Denver Broncos, coach Jon Gruden said Thursday.
Jacobs broke the news on Instagram, calling it “the fastest surgery ever,” and later in another post said, “It’s not a football injury, just had an infection.”
Whether Jacobs plays Sunday when the Raiders finish the season on the road against Denver will be determined by the condition of his right shoulder. Jacobs revealed weeks ago on Instagram he’s been playing with a fracture, with the Raiders acknowledging nothing beyond a shoulder injury that has needed pain-killing injections.
“I don’t study social media so I wasn’t aware of any of his social posts,” Gruden said. “What I do know is he has a skin infection and that will have nothing to do with his playing status. His shoulder is the issue and we’re anxious to see how he is tomorrow.”
Josh Jacobs says he had the "fastest surgery ever" on Wednesday. Hoping for a speedy recovery for the star rook 🙏 pic.twitter.com/jGp2eTk8H4
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) December 26, 2019
Before Gruden spoke to the media, the Raiders issued the following statement Thursday morning:
“Josh Jacobs woke up with discomfort in his leg on Wednesday and he was evaluated an treated for a superficial skin infection,” the Raiders said.
Jacobs was not on the field practicing Thursday during the media viewing window in Alameda. Other Raiders who weren’t practicing while the media was there included cornerback Travon Mullen, guard Richie Incognito and receiver Tyrell Williams.
Pressed on the medical procedure, Gruden said, “His shoulder is the issue. Unfortunately he does have a skin infection, and that I think will be OK. It’s the shoulder. It’s been the shoulder, it is the shoulder, and that’s the area that we’ve got to take a good look at.”
As a matter of course, teams don’t typically approve of players releasing medical information on their own for reasons of competitive advantage. Asked if he had any preferences on whether players would discuss injuries on social media, Gruden said, “I do have preferences, but I’ll be happy to answer any questions that I can. I can’t really comment on that one right now.”
Jacobs has been playing with the shoulder injury since Oct. 20, with the Raiders reducing his practice time and monitoring his work load. He played in six straight games after the injury, but has missed two of the last three. The Raiders beat the Los Angeles Chargers 24-17 Sunday without Jacobs, their leading rusher with 242 carries for 1,150 yards, to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
Oakland, which needs to beat the Broncos on Sunday as well as getting some help from other teams to make it to the postseason, will turn to DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard again if Jacobs can’t go.
Washington ran 23 times for 85 yards against the Chargers. Richard, who had just 11 yards on five carries, caught four passes out of the backfield for 18 yards.
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