Silver Minings: Nate Hobbs practices Thursday

The Las Vegas Raiders have been without their top cornerback Nate Hobbs since Week 5 as he was placed on injured reserve with a broken hand in mid-October. Hobbs and the Raiders got good news last week with the club designating him for return, kicking off the three-week window where he can be activated for the rest of the season.

However, any optimism surrounding his return to the field was short-lived as the team opted to keep the second-year pro on the shelf for one more week and he missed another game.

On Wednesday, Hobbs was considered limited in a walk-through practice, but Thursday brought more hope that he will suit up for the Silver and Black this Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers. Levi Edwards, digital reporter for the Raiders, shared a video on Twitter (seen below) of the cornerback intercepting a pass during individual drills at practice, and several other media members noted that he was back in action yesterday.

Especially after Anthony Averett was placed on IR earlier this week, Hobbs’ presence will certainly be needed this week as Justin Herbert and the Chargers’ passing attack come to town.

Running back Josh Jacobs, who is fighting through a calf injury, was another notable limited participant in practice as a full rundown of Thursday’s injury report can be found below.

FULL:

• Darien Butler, LB (elbow)
• Derek Carr, QB (back)
• Duron Harmon, CB (shoulder)
• Kolton Miller, OT (shoulder)
• Alex Bars, OG (Knee)
• Lester Cotton, OG (calf)

LIMITED:

• Andrew Billings, DT (fibula)
• Brandon Bolden, RB (calf)
• Josh Jacobs, RB (calf)
• Denzel Perryman, LB (wrist)

DNP:

• Jesper Horsted, TE (concussion)
• Kendal Vickers, DE (back)

In other Raiders’ links:

• Darren Waller eyeing TNF return: “Whatever the coaches’ plan and strategy is, I’m on board with and I’m just trying to take advantage of the time we have left in the season,” Waller said on the Silver and Black Pride podcast.
• Jacobs and Ameer Abdullah elevating passing game: our Marcus Johnson dove into the tape and gave a breakdown of how the backs are helping replace Waller and Hunter Renfrow.
• Keenan Allen has strong words for Raiders’ DBs: when asked about Vegas playing the ninth-most man coverage in the NFL, the wideout replied: “Barbecued chicken, no doubt.”
• Seven-round mock draft: Vegas picks up another Clemson defender in the first round.