The Las Vegas Raiders saw multiple rookies make their starting debuts in Week 4 against the Cleveland Browns, and now another rookie is set to make his in Week 5 against the Denver Broncos.
According to head coach Antonio Pierce, fifth-round pick and linebacker Tommy Eichenberg is set to get the starting nod on Sunday. Eichenberg is getting his chance in the wake of linebackers Luke Masterson and Divine Deablo being ruled out.
Masterson suffered a knee injury at practice on Wednesday, and Deablo won't play due to an oblique injury. This will be the third game in a row Deablo has missed.
“With Luke [Masterson] being out, Tommy will start,” Pierce revealed. “Tommy’s coming along. He got off to a great start in OTA’s and then training camp, and then we had a little hiccup there with the injury, but he’s bounced back really strong. We feel really good, he’s a good complement to Robert Spillane and he’s really good for our defense. Smart kid, he’s hard nosed. He’ll make some rookies mistakes, but he does play 100 miles per hour.”
Eichenberg, who will start next to veteran Robert Spillane, missed Week 1 with an injury but has seen snaps in each of the last three games. The Ohio State product played 19 or more special teams snaps in each of the past three games, and he's played 16 defensive snaps in the last two, including a career-high 11 last week.
The Raiders had two other rookies start on the offensive side of the ball against the Browns, with Jackson Powers-Johnson starting at left guard and DJ Glaze starting at right tackle. JPJ will start again in Week 5, and Glaze could once again get the nod if Thayer Munford Jr. (knee, ankle) is ruled out again.
