The Raiders cut Christian Ponder when they decided to go with Matt McGloin as the backup to Derek Carr, but Ponder’s absence from Oakland may turn out to be a brief one.
Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports that the Raiders have reached out to Ponder in the wake of the hand injury that knocked Carr out of Sunday’s loss to the Bengals. Per Mortensen, Ponder cited family reasons when he turned down a offer to work out for the Eagles on Tuesday.
X-rays on Carr’s hand were negative and Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports he suffered a bruised thumb, but he’s waiting on MRI results to determine the full extent of the injury. Although the team and Carr are waiting on those results, Mortensen reports that the Raiders expect Carr to miss their Week Two game against the Ravens.
Ponder was 22-of-35 for 245 yards, one touchdown and one interception for the Raiders in the preseason.