The most anticipated return of any player in the NFL is happening on Sunday. And Tom Brady is playing, too.
Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa, the third overall pick in the NFL Draft who held out with a contract dispute then injured a hamstring then had to get himself back in to football shape and has yet to step on an NFL field, practiced all week and is expected to make his professional debut against the Raiders in Oakland this Sunday.
Bosa was the guy the Chargers targeted to be the difference maker along their defensive line, the guy who can not only put pressure on the quarterback but set the edge on rushing plays and not allow big gains on the ground. In his professional debut, what exactly can we expect from the rookie?
"Hit the quarterback about ten times,” said defensive coordinator John Pagano, only slightly kidding. “Get a sack fumble. Scoop it up and score. Nah, you just ... we drafted him for a reason: to go compete and help us get better on defense and that's the most important thing.”
Also given a clean bill of health (by NFL standards, at least) are offensive linemen Orlando Franklin and Chris Hairston and linebacker Josh Perry.
We know safety Jahleel Addae (collarbone), cornerback Brandon Flowers (concussion) and linebacker Nick Dzubnar (knee) will not play, and then we have a whole gaggle of guys who are questionable, meaning it’s a 50-50 shot they’ll suit up in Oakland:
TE Antonio Gates (hamstring)
RT Joe Barksdale (foot)
LT King Dunlap (migraines)
CB Craig Mager (shoulder)
LB Denzel Perryman (shoulder)
Of the players on that list only Perryman was limited on Friday. Everyone else was able to go for a full practice.
The Raiders are hurting a bit, too. They will not have starting running back Latavius Murray, who is out with a toe injury. Backup running back Taiwan Jones has a knee issue and is questionable so the Raiders might be putting even more of the offense on the right arm of 3rd-year quarterback Derek Carr, who has turned in to one of the best QBs in the game. Carr is 6th in passer rating (104.6) and has thrown nine touchdowns to just one interception.
