The Las Vegas Raiders have had their share of bad injury luck this year, but at least they’ll have something close to a full roster available for tonight’s Monday night game against the Dallas Cowboys, with new possession receiver Tyler Lockett cleared to go after dealing with a knee injury.
Lockett was limited as recently as Thursday, according to Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. The Raiders recently got tight end Brock Bowers back, and running back Dylan Laube was added to the report as a full participant.
The only player who didn’t make the practice was linebacker Cody Lindenberg, who was listed as limited with an Achilles issue.
Several other players remained full participants after struggling with various injuries, including backup quarterback Aidan O’Connell (right wrist), guard Dylan Parham (ankle) and safety Isaiah Pole-Mao (hip).
The Raiders are hoping to break their three-game losing streak against the Dallas Cowboys tonight, but they’ll have their work cut out for them. The Cowboys offense can put up points when they get it going, but Dallas is also coming off back-to-back losses.
As for Lockett, he’s trying to carve out a role as a possession receiver after the Raiders traded receiver Jakobi Meyers to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He had five catches for 44 yards in two games, and the Raiders are also hoping Lockett can mentor young receivers like Tre Tucker and Dont’e Thornton Jr., the latter of whom has struggled to find his footing in his rookie year.
The Raiders have also struggled to find their footing offensively, and Lockett could help in that department as well. The offense clicked in Lockett’s first game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the Raiders were dominated by the Denver Broncos defense in their last game, which was a 10-7 loss.
Dallas represents an opportunity in that regard. Their defense has been soft, even after some deadline deals to do damage control, and the Cowboys have given up 71 points in their back-to-back losses. Bowers should have plenty of opportunities in this one, especially if the Raiders go with fellow tight end Michael Mayer with a lot of two-tight end sets as expected.
This is actually a big game for the Raiders, despite the fact that they’re not going anywhere in the AFC West standings. Coach Pete Carroll is fighting for his job, and he’s relying on an old reliable from his Seattle Seahawks past in Lockett to help turn things around.