ESPN’s Bill Williamson reports that Bartell has a broken shoulder blade and will meet with a specialist to get more information. There is hope he could be back in as little as four weeks per the report.
It’s a significant blow to an already thin Oakland secondary. Pat Lee will start at cornerback in Bartell’s place. Lee performed well in relief of Bartell on Monday night, but he will be tested by the pass-centric offenses in the NFL.
The Raiders get a reprieve in Week 2 with a trip to Miami to face the Dolphins and rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill before they take on a gauntlet of quality quarterbacks in Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning and Matt Ryan from Week 3 to Week 6.
The recently signed Joselio Hanson and Philip Adams are the only other two cornerbacks on the roster besides starter Shawntae Spencer. Not only do they still need to learn the defense, but they aren’t good options on the outside if the Raiders were to sustain another injury.
Hanson is primarily suited to cover smaller, quicker wide receivers in the slot and Adams has played in just 23 games since he entered the league in 2010, with most coming on special teams. The horrible New England Patriots secondary used Adams for five games last season before turning to other options.
The Raiders will likely have to resort to using free safety Michael Huff as a cornerback like they did in 2011. Huff has played primarily slot cornerback as well, but he has the size and skill set to play outside. Matt Giordano would play free safety in that scenario like he has in nic...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
