Raiders running back Josh Jacobs expects to be back against Jaguars

ALAMEDA - Raiders running back Josh Jacobs spoke to the media Friday for the first time since revealing he was playing with a shoulder fracture and addressed his absence last week as well as his intention to play against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“It's all right,” Jacobs said. “My plan is to go.”

Coach Jon Gruden was guardedly optimistic his leading rusher would be available when the Raiders host the Jaguars Sunday in the last game for the franchise at the Coliseum. Jacobs was officially listed as “questionable.”

“He got work all three days,” Gruden said. ‘I think that's a good sign. I don't know how much he'll play, don't know 100 percent that he will play, but it does look pretty good.”

There were two other players listed as questionable that could be game-day decisions. Right tackle Trent Brown was limited Friday, taking the field for the first time this week, and cornerback Daryl Worley was also questionable but did not practice all week with a neck injury.

In the week leading in to the Tennessee game, Jacobs in a Snapchat post said his shoulder had been fractured and he'd been dealing with it since Week 7, an Oct. 20 game against the Green Bay Packers. Gruden said Jacobs has been getting pain-killing injections each week to play.

Last week, however, Jacobs said the recovery process was slower than usual.

“Normally, it'll take to Thursday and it'll be like, ‘It's all right,' and I can move. It just took the whole week last week,” Jacobs said.

While teams usually frown on players being specific regarding their injuries, Jacobs, citing the nature of the running back position, didn't see where making the information public would make much difference.

“I don't really care, honestly. Some people feel like it's going to put a target on your back,” Jacobs said. “I feel like there's a target on my back every week. It just is what it is.”

Whether the injury can be made worse by playing is a risk Jacobs sounds willing to take.

“It's football. You can say it can't get worse and anything can happen,” Jacobs said. “You never know. But I know it's something I won't need to have surgery on, so that's a positive note. But after the season I'll have to sit a month and a half just doing nothing, letting it heal.”

Jacobs said it's not the first time he's played with a fracture, citing an ankle injury late in his sophomore season at Alabama. Jacobs' workload was considerably less than it was as a junior or now with the Raiders, where he has already carried 218 times for 1,061 yards after having 251 carries for 1,451 yards for his entire three-year college career.

In his last two games as a sophomore, Jacobs carried just three times for eight yards against Clemson and Georgia in the college football playoffs.

“I played with a broken bone in my ankle the whole year my sophomore year and had surgery two days after the championship game. I'm kind of used to it,” Jacobs said.

Gruden said Jacobs was in tears when it was determined he would not be cleared to face Tennessee. Jacobs said he felt his teammates were able to pick up the slack in his absence.

“I feel like the biggest thing was feeling like I let the team down,” Jacobs said. “Being a competitor, you don't like watching. But the running back group held it down. At the end of the day, I didn't feel too bad about it.”

Jacobs said he is focused on playing the final three games.

“Regardless of the record, just try to come in and implement the right things, obviously get the win for Oakland this week,” Jacobs said. “Just trying to finish off strong and on a high note to where we want to start off next year with things to work on.”

Other players listed as questionable were linebacker Marquel Lee (toe), linebacker Kyle Wilber (ankle), safety Erik Harris (hamstring) and wide receiver Marcel Ateman (ribs).

Leavitt ready if called

It was a little less than a year ago that Dallin Leavitt was promoted from the practice squad to play on special teams for the Raiders' last two games of the season. He made the team in training camp this year largely through his work on special teams.

He's been in that role throughout the 2019 season, but may get some work at safety for the first time against Jacksonville. The Raiders released D.J. Swearinger this week and Worley, who was expected to move over from cornerback to take some snaps on the back end, hasn't practiced all week with a neck injury and his availability is a toss-up.

Throw in a hamstring injury to starter Erik Harris, and Leavitt, as well as Curtis Riley, could find themselves in the mix on defense.

“I know all the adjustments, I know everything I need to do in order to be in position to make plays and help our defense,” Leavitt said. “I feel I'm comfortable with what's going on.”

Defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said he's comfortable using Leavitt on defense.

Dallin's a good player. I mean he can play. I don't view him as just a special teams guy, at least on the defense,” Guenther said. “When he gets his opportunity just like anything like Trayvon (Mullen), some of the other rookies, Maxx (Crosby), those guys, when they get their opportunities to play, they've got to make the most of it.”

Notes

Practice observers included former Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon, who will be doing the analysis for CBS in the Jacksonville game, and Charles Woodson, in town to do some work for NFL Films as well as attend the last game at the Coliseum.

“I looked out there and said, ‘No wonder we were pretty good,'” Gruden said.