Raiders report: Adams, O’Connell praise ‘dogs’ on defense

Wide receiver Davante Adams has seen the Raiders’ young secondary grow throughout the season.

The group reached new heights the last two weeks. It put together a dominant performance against quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in the Raiders’ 20-14 win Monday.

“Man, it’s a bunch of dogs out there,” said Adams, who practices against the group every day. “When you have some dogs, whether you’re young, old or in between, it kind of doesn’t matter. You’ve got to just turn it on.

“So proud of those guys and the way they’ve been flying around, tackling, catching the ball and scoring touchdowns helping us out. We all work this thing together.”

The entire defense did more than enough to carry a stagnant offense to a win in Kansas City. Rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell knows the offense can’t always rely on that type of defensive performance. It’s still nice to know it’s possible.

The Raiders held Mahomes and the Chiefs to 14 points while scoring two touchdowns on defense themselves.

“We don’t go into a game thinking our defense is going to bail us out here or there, but obviously they have,” O’Connell said. “They’ve done an awesome job of that and we’re confident they’re going to do that because they’ve showed it.”

Injury report

Running back Josh Jacobs and tight end Michael Mayer were both listed as non-participants on the Raiders’ first injury report of the week Wednesday.

The team did not practice. The designations were an estimation of what Jacobs and Mayer’s level of participation would have been.

Jacobs is dealing with a quadriceps injury that has cost him the last two games. Mayer has a toe injury that led to him being out Monday.

Mayer was out of his walking boot Wednesday. The former Notre Dame standout is holding out hope to play Sunday in Indianapolis.

Left tackle Kolton Miller, who was active this week after missing four of the previous five games with a shoulder injury, was listed as a limited participant. He played just two snaps on offense against Kansas City when offensive tackle Jermaine Eluemunor briefly left with a knee injury. Miller does not appear to be close to full strength as he battles through the pain.

Eluemunor also drew a limited designation, as did wide receiver DJ Turner (shoulder), defensive end Malcolm Koonce (ribs), center Andre James (ankle) and defensive end Maxx Crosby (knee).

Long snapper Jacob Bobenmoyer was listed as a full participant despite a knee injury.

New guy

Tight end Zach Gentry was still shaking hands with teammates when the media entered the locker room Wednesday.

The 6-foot-8 tight end had just arrived after being signed off the Cincinnati practice squad.

“It’s the first time I’ve really had to do this, so I spent the bulk of the morning trying to just meet everyone and recognize faces and get the schedule down, get my bearings in the building and try to cram as much of the playbook in as I can as quickly as I can,” Gentry said.

Gentry, 27, was a fifth-round pick by the Steelers in 2019. The Michigan product has 39 catches for 303 yards in his career.

He’s spent all of this season on the Bengals practice squad and has yet to appear in a game.

Gentry arrives as the Raiders are banged up at tight end. In addition to Mayer’s toe injury, Jesper Horsted was placed on injured reserve Wednesday with a hamstring injury.

“I’m coming in without a ton of knowledge in terms of injuries and things of that nature, but I’m certainly going to be trying to do as much as I can to be ready as quickly as I can,” Gentry said.

The Raiders also released offensive tackle Justin Herron on Wednesday. He has appeared in six games this season.

Allen named finalist for hall

Eric Allen, who played four seasons with the Raiders and is considered one of the best cornerbacks of his era, was named a Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist for the class of 2024 on Wednesday.

Allen played 14 seasons in the NFL. He was a three-time All-Pro player and six-time Pro Bowler while playing with the Eagles from 1988-94, the Saints from 1995-97 and the Raiders from 1998-2001.

Allen finished his career with 787 tackles, 54 interceptions and eight touchdowns.

Allen is one of 14 modern-era finalists. The Hall of Fame Class of 2024 will be inducted during NFL Honors in Las Vegas on Feb. 8.

Staff reporter Vincent Bonsignore contributed to this story. Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.