Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr has been cleared for practice with the team, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Carr is dealing with an injury to the ring finger on his throwing hand, and he hasn't been throwing during Oakland's organized team activities. That said, it seems like he'll do some throwing at the team's next minicamp.
Derek Carr cleared for minicamp, Alex Boone at 49ers OTAs and more
Derek Carr’s recovery from a finger injury is going along smoothly, Alex Boone is attending the 49ers’ next minicamp and more from the NFL on Monday.
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How much he throws is still up in the air, but Rapoport notes that he likely won’t be throwing at full velocity. Once training camp rolls around, though, Carr is expected to be 100 percent and full-go. That’s great for the Raiders, as the development of Carr is possibly the most important thing for the team’s success going forward.
Carr was a second-round pick in 2014 and had a solid rookie season in which he completed 58.1 percent of his passes for 3,270 yards with 21 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The Raiders have strung together a couple strong offseasons as well, bringing in new talent and purging bad contracts, and they could be dangerously close to being competitive again. If Carr’s injury hasn’t set him back at all, there’s a good chance they will be.
Here’s some other news from Monday in the NFL:
Boone at 49ers OTAs
The San Francisco 49ers are having a rough offseason, but they got some good news on Monday as offensive lineman Alex Boone will attend the team's mandatory minicamp, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. Boone was a holdout last season and is still unsatisfied with his contract, but rather than hold out again he's taking part with the team and that's huge.
Boone may end up getting the bigger contract he's after, given the recent retirement of right tackle Anthony Davis. Boone is the team's starting right guard, but he's proven in the past that he's an above-average tackle as well, filling in for Joe Staley on the left side when the need has arisen. Boone may be the team's future at the right tackle spot, and him showing up for this minicamp could be a show of good faith to the club.
Bradford getting closer to full return
The Philadelphia Eagles have Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow on the roster, but Sam Bradford is the favorite to be the starter heading into next season. The biggest issue: he's consistently injured these days, and he's currently recovering from his second torn ACL in two years. That said, Bradford has been participating in 7-on-7 drills, and on Monday he took part in full warmups with the team, the first time he's done that.
Bradford looks good throwing the football, far and away the best of the quarterbacks at Eagles practices. That said, he doesn’t look totally comfortable dropping back just yet, which will be something to monitor throughout training camp. Sanchez has looked pretty good in OTAs, while Tebow has struggled more often than not and that was the case on Monday.
Beckham, Ayers updates from Giants
While New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is dealing with a hamstring injury, head coach Tom Coughlin said he is “doing better” on Monday, according to the team’s website. It sounds like a minor injury overall, but given that Beckham missed significant time last season due to a hamstring injury (albeit the other hamstring), coupled with the fact that he’s such a great receiver, it’s definitely concerning. Whatever the case, it sounds like the Giants themselves aren’t too worried, as the team is content to let him rest throughout organized team activities.
Robert Ayers is another big-name player dealing with an injury. Ayers was back on the sideline on Monday for the first time since an ankle sprain in the first OTA practice this offseason. Ayers remains limited, but given that he was still limping and dealing with a lot of swelling at this time last week, it's definitely progress. Also of note from Monday's session: offensive tackle Ereck Flowers has been thrown into the deep end and is playing with both the first and second teams throughout OTAs.
Sample could return for training camp
The Jacksonville Jaguars will be without rookie fourth-round pick James Sample for the start of training camp, but he could return well before the season opener, according to the team's website. Sample sustained a fractured arm during organized team activities, but the safety said he expects to return "midway through training camp," according to the report. Jacksonville's training camp will get underway in late July, and if Sample's recovery timetable is correct, he should have plenty of time to get in some work during the preseason in advance of the regular season opener on Sept. 13.
Perriman not dropping passes
The Baltimore Ravens hope rookie receiver Breshad Perriman can develop into a No. 1 guy, but first he has to show he’s fixed many of the issues he had in college. The biggest issue is drops, but according to the team’s website Perriman hasn’t dropped a pass since the opening rookie camp. Perriman had eight dropped passes at UCF in 2014, but he’s impressing in organized team activities and most feel he’ll be an upgrade to Torrey Smith, another deep threat who departed for the 49ers in free agency.
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