Peyton Barber’s Opportunity, Yannick Ngakoue’s Commitment

A couple of things for the Las Vegas Raiders to keep an eye out for today.

Earlier this week, head coach Jon Gruden confirmed that running back Josh Jacobs will not be playing today.

Instead of focusing on running back Kenyan Drake’s role, Gruden focused on the opportunity for running back Peyton Barber to show what he can do on the field for the Silver and Black.

“It’s an opportunity for Peyton Barber,” Gruden said. “We really like Barber. We think he’s a heck of a back. Coming from Tampa, I’ve had a chance to really get behind the scenes on him and I like the way he runs and catches and picks up blitzes.”

“And Kenyan will continue to play a role in our system no matter who the other back is, and we’re excited about this opportunity to see what we have.”

Meanwhile, Gruden also mentioned Yannick Ngakoue, one of the captains of the squad, who was injured but will be active today for the Raiders.

“Well, he’s one of our toughest players,” Gruden said. “He’s a team captain, almost unanimously selected. That says a lot, but he wants to win.”

“He knows we got to have him to win. And I admire these players that go to extreme measures to do what they have to do to get ready to play mentally and physically, and he’s at the top of the chart when it comes to that.”

A couple of headlines to keep an eye out for today as the Raiders take on the Steelers at 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT.