ALAMEDA – Raiders receiver Amari Cooper suffered a concussion and an ankle sprain nearly two weeks ago on the same play. The head trauma looked bad on a violent hit against Denver, but the ankle had a longer impact.
Cooper cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol on Wednesday, but the ankle held him out of practice the next few days. The Raiders’ most talented receiver has been doing side work with trainers, and tested his ankle during Friday’s light practice.
The Raiders saw enough progress to consider him questionable for Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. That still doesn't mean he'll play, but there's a chance.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
“(Cooper’s progress) was pretty gradual throughout the week,” head coach Jack Del Rio said. “He’s getting better every day. He did some running on the side earlier in the week. We’ll see. He’s questionable. He moved around pretty well today.”
Cooper is trying to play. His presence would certainly help a Raiders offense that gets Michael Crabtree back from suspension. Cooper commands respect in the pattern when at full strength, leaving others with favorable matchups. He won’t be at that level Sunday. That’s unrealistic.
Del Rio’s left with a tough decision, especially heading into a pivotal AFC West matchup. The Raiders, Chiefs, and Chargers are tied atop the division, and a victory would give the Silver and Black a tiebreaker over Kansas City. The Chargers host Washington on Sunday afternoon.
The Raiders will have a walk-through practice on Saturday near Kansas City and pre-game warm-ups to evaluate Cooper further. Del Rio wouldn’t say Cooper is a game-time decision.
NFL
“We’ll see,” Del Rio said. “I have some thoughts on it, but I don’t need to share them with (Chiefs head coach Andy Reid) right now.”
Cooper may push to play, but Del Rio has to look out for the player and team first.
“You learn in this business to kind of figure out who you can trust and not trust. It’s about trust,” Del Rio said. “First, the doctors have to clear him. If the player really wants to go and he’s moving around well enough, then I typically let him go. We’ll see how it looks.”
INJURY NOTES
-- Cornerback David Amerson is listed as questionable heading into the Chiefs game. He has missed five games with a foot injury suffered the last time the Raiders played their midwestern rival. The team’s best cornerback has been limited, and his return to a thin cornerback corps would be welcome.
-- Reserve interior offensive lineman Jon Feliciano has been ruled out with a concussion, leaving the Raiders thin on the interior. That’s especially true in the middle. They don’t have a natural center to backup Rodney Hudson. Practice squad center James Stone could be a backup option there, considering depth needs at other spots like receiver and cornerback.
-- Cornerback Antonio Hamilton is eligible to come off injured reserve if needed. He is healthy and moving around well after suffering a knee injury early this year.
-- Weakside linebacker Cory James (knee) seems set to miss his second straight game. He didn’t practice all week and is considered doubtful. Nicholas Morrow has played well in his stead, and could be in line for significant snaps again Sunday.