On Wednesday, the Raiders took the field for practice, one of only a handful of practices before they begin game week prep for the Panthers who they face in week one of the season. Among those on the field was Marcus Mariota, according to multiple reports from media in attendance.
#Raiders QB Marcus Mariota returned to practice today. He'd been out since last week.
— Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) September 2, 2020
Mariota was first missing from practice on August 26, which was the final training camp practice for the team at their facility in Henderson.
No Marcus Mariota at #Raiders pracfice today. Nelson Agholor also not out there.
— Levi Damien (@LeviDamien) August 26, 2020
At the time, Jon Gruden said Mariota’s injury was not serious and he would be out for three or four days. That was fairly accurate as it turns out. Exactly a week later, he was on the field.
Derek Carr is still the starter for the Raiders, but Mariota will be counted on to be a serviceable backup should Carr either get injured or at some point the team wishes to make a change. It’s the first time since Carr became the starter as a rookie that they have had a legitimate starting option as the backup quarterback.
