Oakland Raiders: Antonio Brown injury raises concern, frustration

The Oakland Raiders took the risk in trading for Antonio Brown and, as an injury is keeping him out of training camp, concern should be growing.

By trading for Antonio Brown, the Oakland Raiders were taking a risk. Jon Gruden’s team was rolling the dice on the talent of the now-former Steelers wide receiver and hoping that the personality would mesh with Derek Carr and company. However, as training camp is underway in the Bay Area, the concern isn’t about locker room chemistry or Brown’s personality.

Instead, it’s about Brown’s health. Brown arrived at Raiders training camp on a hot air balloon but that’s been his highlight thus far. He’s been on the NFI list (a designation for players dealing with injuries that didn’t occur in a game or practice) since the start of camp and has not yet taken the field with his new team.

Through social media and other reports, it’s become apparent that Brown is dealing with some sort of foot injury. But perhaps the Raiders and the receiver are just being cautious, right? Well, that may not be the case.

On Saturday, Vic Tafur of The Athletic reported on Twitter that the star wide receiver will be going to see a specialist about his lingering foot injury keeping him out of action:

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First, it’s important to note that seeing a specialist in itself may not mean much. In fact, it could lead to a quick solution to whatever the issue is and get Brown into the fold at Raiders training camp sooner rather than later. But while that may be the case, there is also the chance that it’s the sign of something more serious.

If it is something serious, that’s a major concern for the Oakland offense. This is a team that has made big additions on offense in the 2019 offseason but those additions are less effective if Brown isn’t the focal point of the passing game. Essentially, the wide receiver not being on the field severely lowers the ceiling for the Raiders offense.

It’s clear that Gruden and the Raiders know this, too. On Friday when talking to the media, per Pro Football Talk, Gruden expressed that it was “frustrating” not to have Brown out there with the team. In typical fashion for the head coach, he also added that they wanted “to get the party started.”

At this point, it’s right to be both concerned and frustrated if you’re a Raiders fan (or part of the organization). This team is looking to try and turn things around in a big way after a disappointing debut season with Gruden at the helm. That all starts with a new-look offense that is headlined by the addition of Antonio Brown.

Thus, the All-Pro caliber wide receiver not being in camp is stifling any progress. And the concern is that the progress will continue to be stifled if this injury isn’t both figured out and, ultimately, put in the rearview mirror.

What’s clear, though, is that the situation with Brown’s injury is something to monitor moving forward. The Raiders should be decidedly better in 2019 than they were a year ago, with or without Brown. How much better, though, depends on whether or not the wide receiver is able to join the party or not.