Raiders running back Josh Jacobs missed all of the team’s offseason program and almost all of their preseason work before signing a one-year deal to rejoin the team on August 26, so he hasn’t had much practice time heading into the team’s first game of the season.
Jacobs doesn’t see that as a bad thing, however. Jacobs didn’t take any hits while he was waiting for his contract impasse to come to an end and said on Thursday that he feels “fresher than most people” heading into the first weekend of the regular season.
“I mean, for me, less hits is better,” Jacobs said, via Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com. “I get hit enough, you know what I’m saying? But I mean, man, I came back at the same weight I played at last year and I look bigger. I added muscle, so I think I’m in a good position.”
There’s usually a worry that players coming off long layoffs could suffer muscle pulls or other injuries as a result of accumulating rust, but it doesn’t sound like that’s a big concern for Jacobs. Sunday’s workload against the Broncos will let everyone know whether the Raiders are holding anything back in his return to action.