5:51 PM ET
HENDERSON, Nev. — While Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden is “optimistic” quarterback Derek Carr will be active Saturday against the Miami Dolphins, nine days after he suffered a strained groin, Gruden would not announce who would start at quarterback — Carr or Marcus Mariota.
“That’s my plan, right now, as I sit here,” Gruden said Thursday, when asked specifically if Carr, the franchise’s all-time leading passer, would be in uniform.
“But, again, these groins are funny. You saw what happened last Thursday night. I mean, he’s running to his right and I didn’t see him the rest of the game. So, I’m not going to say anything other than I’m optimistic. But I’m not a mind-reader. I just know that he had an injury that caused him to miss the game last week and I’m respectful of that. He’s a tough guy, man. But I’m optimistic he’ll be ready to go, yes.”
In terms of a timeline, Gruden said, “We’ll see what happens here [Friday] in terms of which way we go, but we’ll have two quarterbacks prepared to play.”
After being “limited” in practice Tuesday, Carr was a “full” participant on Wednesday and Thursday