Maurice Jones-Drew Injury: Updates on Raiders Star's Hand and Return

Updates from Sunday, Sept. 28

Scott Bair of CSN Bay Area confirms Maurice Jones-Drew's status for Week 4:

Updates from Friday, Sept. 26

Scott Bair of CSN Bay Area reported on Maurice Jones-Drew's status for Week 4:

"

Raiders running back Maurice Jones-Drew is set to return for Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins. He was a full participant in Friday’s practice and listed as probable on the team’s official injury report.

(...)

McFadden has run hard, but it hasn’t generated steady production. Through three games, he’s averaging just 3.3 yards per carry.

But, with Jones-Drew on the mend, McFadden is expected to be featured in the game plan.

“Darren has had the majority of the carries over the last couple of weeks and the majority of the practice time over the last few weeks,” Raiders head coach Dennis Allen said. “Ultimately, we’ll have to see how the game plays out.”

"

Earlier, Fallon Smith of CSN Bay Area had an update on Jones-Drew:

Updates from Thursday, Sept. 25

Scott Bair of CSN Bay Area has Jones-Drew's thoughts entering Sunday:

"

It seems fast given the importance of a running back’s hands and the delicate nature of the bone structure, but Jones-Drew considers himself a quick healer.

“I’m part Wolverine, man,” Jones-Drew said with a smile.

“I think, more than anything else, it was about making the coaches feel comfortable with me going out there and being able to protect myself,” Jones-Drew said. “This week I feel great blocking and carrying the ball in my right hand. If I’m able to do that, they’ll be more comfortable letting me go out there and compete a little bit. “

"

Scott Bair of CSN Bay Area has an update on Jones-Drew ahead of Sunday's game:

ESPN's Bill Williamson adds more:

"

Oakland Raiders running back Maurice Jones-Drew practiced fully Thursday and appears poised to play Sunday against Miami in London.

Jones-Drew practiced fully for the first time since injuring his hand in Week 1 against the New York Jets. He's been limited in practice for the past week and he missed the past two games.

"

Updates from Wednesday, Sept. 24

Marc Sessler of NFL.com has good news on Jones-Drew's status for Sunday:

"

"Yeah, definitely," Jones-Drew said on NFL AM. "It's not up to me but I feel like I'll be able to play."

Jones-Drew returned to practice last week, but it was Darren McFadden who was asked to shoulder the load in Sunday's 16-9 loss to the Patriots after MJD was ruled out.

"Just trying to get on the field and help my man (McFadden) out," Jones-Drew told Davis. "I feel we both do better if we both out there. So obviously he's been taking the brunt of the carries and the brunt of the reps, so I want to get out there and try and give him a blow here and there and let him get his legs back underneath him so he can run."

"

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com has an update on Maurice Jones-Drew:

Updates from Sunday, Sept. 21

The Raiders confirmed Maurice Jones-Drew's status for Week 3:

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network previously reported the pregame expectation for Jones-Drew:

Updates from Friday, Sept. 19

CSN's Scott Bair has the latest on Jones-Drew's status:

Updates from Thursday, Sept. 18

Scott Bair of CSN Bay Area reported on Maurice Jones-Drew from Raiders practice:

Bair provided more details on Jones-Drew's participation:

"

He went through most individual drills during the portion of practice open to the press. He wore extra protection above the surgery site, which was just below his right ring finger.

"

Earlier, Will Carroll of Bleacher Report weighed in on Maurice Jones-Drew's injured hand and his status for Week 3:

Updates from Sunday, Sept. 14

The Oakland Raiders confirmed Maurice Jones-Drew is out for Sunday's game:

Updates from Friday, Sept. 12

Brian T. Smith of The Houston Chronicle provides the latest on Maurice Jones-Drew's Week 2 status:

"

Oakland cornerback Tawain Jones (foot) is out. Running back Maurice Jones-Drew (hand), linebacker Kaluka Maiava (illness), tackle Matt McCants (knee) and linebacker Nick Roach (concussion) are questionable, while cornerback Chimdi Chekwa (knee) is probable.

"

Scott Bair of CSN Bay Area previously reported on Jones-Drew's injury:

Updates from Thursday, Sept. 11

Scott Bair of CSN Bay Area provides the latest on Maurice Jones-Drew's Week 2 status:

"

Raiders running back Maurice Jones-Drew won’t rule himself out of Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans. Publicly, the coaching staff has maintained a similar stance.

Though nothing formal has been announced, multiple sources have indicated that he won't be available for the home opener.

"

Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Jones-Drew from Raiders practice:

Original Text

Injuries have plagued the latter portion of Maurice Jones-Drew's NFL career, and a change of scenery hasn't altered that trend. 

The new Oakland Raiders running back didn't practice on Wednesday due to a hand injury, according to Nate Stuhlbarg of CSNBayArea.com:

"

Maurice Jones-Drew injured his hand in Sunday’s 19-14 loss to the Jets and underwent a procedure to repair the injury, a source told Comcast SportsNet’s Fallon Smith.

The nine-year veteran was not at practice on Wednesday.

Despite the procedure, Jones-Drew isn’t expected to miss much time — if any — according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

"

ESPN's Bill Williamson added: 

It's easy to forget that in 2011 Jones-Drew led the NFL in carries (343) and rushing yards (1,606) and was just 20 yards shy of 2,000 from scrimmage. But then he missed nearly the entire 2012 season with a left foot injury and spent much of 2013 dealing with various ankle, knee and hamstring ailments. 

With a move to Oakland, though, he was ready to answer critics' claims that his career was over.

"I know what I have left," Jones-Drew told the San Jose Mercury News' Steve Corkran in July. "I know the work I put in this offseason to get to where I need to get to be able to play at a high level. I stopped worrying about what people were saying."

Uncredited/Associated Press

Jones-Drew's presence gave the Raiders a breath of fresh air at running back, but while he's out, things get a bit ugly at the position.

Marcel Reece is a two-time Pro Bowler and tremendous pass-catcher, but that's at fullback, where he doesn't get a ton of carries. That leaves the lion's share of the RB duties to Darren McFadden, who has averaged barely more than 3.0 yards per carry since the start of 2012 and struggled last year to make an impact in the passing game. He also has dealt with his fair share of injuries over the years.

Pro Football Focus' Sam Monson put it simply:

In addition to McFadden and Reece, Oakland has second-year running back Latavius Murray to round out the ball-carrier depth. 

The Raiders made significant improvements to the passing game in the offseason, so Jones-Drew's void doesn't have to be completely filled on the ground. But this is a blow for an offense in need of every legitimate weapon it can get. 

McFadden has the potential to carry the load as long as he can stay healthy. Murray also offers some intrigue, so it will be interesting to see how the team handles the running game in Jones-Drew's absence.