Raiders’ Clelin Ferrell was mentally ready for COVID battle

Raiders’ defensive lineman Clelin Ferrell could see the trends and knew he had to be prepared.

The way COVID-19 was spreading and impacting NFL locker rooms, the second-year pro from Clemson believed there was a good chance he could be infected at some point.

So he readied himself mentally for what should happen if he did get it.

“It gave me peace throughout the season,” said Ferrell, who has missed the last two games after testing positive. “So when I did, yes it was a bummer, but I was prepared to the point where it wouldn’t crush me mentally.”

Still, it wasn’t easy. The lack of knowing whether he had unknowingly infected others weighed heavily on his mind. Plus, Ferrell was symptomatic and admitted the virus took a toll on his body.

“I was like, ‘Woo, this thing is really real,’” he said.

Ferrell was cleared to return last week, but he wasn’t ready to play in Sunday’s game because he was still getting back into game shape.

It was difficult for Ferrell to sit idly on the sideline as his team lost a second consecutive game without him.

“Losing a tough one to Kansas City, that’s tough because if we win that, we’re at the forefront of the division,” he said. “Then watching last week was a big embarrassment to the team. Not being able to be a part of that was tough. I’m happy I got to travel with the team last week. Now I’m just excited to be back so we can go on this run to the playoffs.”

He believes he will be able to play on Sunday against the Jets.

“Body-wise, I think I was able to maintain most of my strength, speed and quickness, all of that,” he said. “But when you’re not playing or practicing for two weeks, I was still working out on my own, but there’s a difference in football shape. My wind is still trying to get back.”

Collins headed to IR

Coach Jon Gruden said defensive tackle Maliek Collins would be placed on injured reserve. The roster move means Collins will miss at least the next three games.

Collins has played in 10 games for the Raiders, logging at least 60 percent of the defensive snaps in each of the last six contests.

Gruden declined to identify the injury, but said Collins has dealt with some shoulder problems. The injury report cited hamstring and ankle injuries for Collins.

“He’s had a number of issues. We’re going to shut him down for a few weeks, try to get him right and hopefully have him some point here before the season is over,” Gruden said.

All clear

The Raiders have no players on the reserve/COVID-19 list for the first time in nearly two months.

Trent Brown, Lamarcus Joyner and Theo Riddick were all activated on Wednesday, though Gruden isn’t sure if Brown will be ready to play on Sunday.

“He did participate in individual periods, which is a good sign,” Gruden said of Wednesday’s practice. “I don’t believe he’s going to play in this game, but hopefully we can start talking about him returning to the lineup soon.”

Injury report

Gruden lamented the number of players who were unavailable due to injury. “Our list is long,” he said of the official injury report.

Ten players were listed as non-participants in Wednesday’s practice, the first on-field session of the week for the Raiders.

Running back Josh Jacobs, wide receiver Nelson Agholor and linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski headlined the list, all three with ankle injuries. Safety Johnathan Abram was out with a knee injury. Secondary mate Damon Arnette left Sunday’s game with a neck injury and concussion and did not practice.

Guard Denzelle Good was out with an ankle injured on Sunday.

Mo Hurst, whose usage is expected to go up if he’s available due to Collins’ absence, sat out nursing ankle and calf injuries.

Veteran offensive linemen Rodney Hudson and Gabe Jackson had veteran rest days.

Offensive lineman Sam Young (knee), fullback Alec Ingold (ribs) and safety Erik Harris (calf) were all limited participants.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.