Soon after Derek Carr’s injury, head coach Jack Del Rio announced it would be 2-6 weeks that his star quarterback would be out with a transverse process fracture in his back.
By now you’re probably familiar with the injury and know it was an injury that Tony Romo suffered in 2014 – forcing the Cowboys quarterback to miss only one game.
So far, here’s how the recovery timeline played out (and is playing out) for both quarterbacks.
Romo actually suffered two fractures in his back, but returned to the game he was injured after taking pain-killing injections. Romo missed the next game and practiced for the first time on the following Thursday – 10 days after the injury. He played the following week against the Jaguars in London.
Carr did not return to the Denver game after hurting his back and it isn’t known if he suffered multiple fractures. He returned to practice on Thursday (a week sooner than Romo returned to practice) and was officially listed as ‘limited’ in his participation.
Carr threw at practice on Thursday and looked surprisingly comfortable in his throwing motion.
Derek Carr to Michael Crabtree. Yes, Carr is throwing in practice. pic.twitter.com/8xYdScfGoC
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) October 5, 2017
The Raiders have already announced E.J. Manuel will start on Sunday against the Ravens, but like Romo, it seems Carr is on the fast track to recovery.
If Manuel plays well against the Ravens, it’s possible the Raiders would try to hold Carr out an additional week and have him as close to full strength as possible to face the Chiefs the following week.
Of course, Carr will have say in the process, too. His personal timeline for return is probably the most predictable element in the process. If he can play, good luck holding him back.
twitter: @raidersbeat
