10 things we learned tuesday

Jon Gruden has big plans for the bye week.

And, no, the Raiders coach doesn’t know how to unplug from football.

“I’m going to teach (new receiver) Zay Jones some plays today,” Gruden said Tuesday afternoon. “I’m going to come in tomorrow and teach Zay Jones some more plays.”

Gruden met with reporters Tuesday, still feeling the effects of last week’s trip to London. His eyes were red — he is planning to visit with the team trainer — and he is pretty happy about being 3-2 going into the bye, two weeks after being 1-2.

“Well, we’ve had a lot of players play critical roles that maybe we didn’t think would play this substantial of a role this soon,” Gruden said. “I’m really proud of the development of some young players. Really pleased with our coaching staff, the job that they’ve done. …

“I can’t say enough about the camaraderie that we have on the team and the guys that have stepped up. It’s fun to be around.”

Here are 10 things we learned from our talk with Gruden, in what was the only access to the Raiders facility this week:

1. Why Gruden and the Raiders traded a 2021 fifth-round pick to Buffalo for receiver Zay Jones
He has seven catches for 69 yards this season, after having 56 for 652 and seven touchdowns last season. Gruden liked Jones coming out of East Carolina in 2017.

“He was a very productive guy in college,” Gruden said. “Played in the slot, played split end and flanker. Tough guy, smart. I just think he has a lot of natural skills that are really well worth looking into. With all our injuries, I really credit (general manager) Mike Mayock and his staff for the two trades that we made. Trevor Davis has really paid big dividends for us. We expect more of the same from Zay.”

I asked if the trade was a sign that Gruden has doubts about the status of receivers Tyrell Williams (foot) and J.J. Nelson (knee).

“We don’t know,” Gruden said. “It’s a tough spot the last couple of weeks. Dwayne Harris (ankle), put him in that mix too. Those are three veteran receivers that we had expected to play and are not sure of their status. But we got to get ready to play Green Bay and they play a lot of bump-and-run and man-to-man.”

The Raiders waived Marcell Ateman to make room on the roster for Jones. They also reached an injury settlement with defensive tackle Justin Ellis and released him from the injured reserve list, a long-anticipated move.

2. The Raiders dodged a bullet with the Arden Key injury
The defensive end will miss one or two games with a strained patellar tendon.

“He had the MRI yesterday,” Gruden said. “We were pleased, honestly, to get the results. I don’t believe there’s any serious structural damage. … We worked out four guys this morning, but no signings are imminent right now.”

Rookie defensive end Maxx Crosby will continue to play a lot. On Sunday, he took over for Clelin Ferrell, who was out after sustaining a concussion.

“We didn’t want to take him out of the game,” Gruden said of Crosby. “He just seems to never tire. He’s a fun guy to have. We have a lot of respect for what he’s done and got a lot of goals for him to obtain before he’s done playing here.”

3. Gruden does not think rookie Quinton Bell is ready to help replace some of Key’s snaps
Bell, a seventh-round pick, was a receiver at Prairie View A&M before moving to defensive end, and the freak athlete and practice squad member is still in the project phase.

“I think he’s still a work in progress like a lot of young guys,” Gruden said. “He’s just now playing defensive end really for the first time. Played it last year a little bit in college, but he’s learning. He’s got to become a little bit more versatile and understand the game a little bit more and more. Just like all these young guys have to.

“He’s making some strides. We still have high hopes for him, but we’re monitoring him carefully.”

4. The offensive line enjoys blocking for Josh Jacobs
“We’re proud of the film,” Gruden said. “We’re proud of what we’ve done up front on offense. Kolton Miller has played really good. Trent Brown has been as advertised. Rodney Hudson played as well as I’ve seen him play. …

“It’s fun to block for a guy like Jacobs. Their hard work and their effort is rewarded every time we hand this kid the ball. They’re gaining confidence.”

5. Gruden thinks people are still selling tight end Darren Waller short
“He leads the league in receiving right now at that position,” Gruden said. “If you watched him block (Sunday), I don’t know if there’s a better tight end in football really.”

6. Gruden is even more geeked about getting guard Gabe Jackson back then you think
Like, Gruden was sitting in London and watching of videos of Jackson working out in Alameda.

“We’re hoping to get Isaiah Johnson, our fourth-round pick, back here on the practice field Monday,” Gruden said. “I’d love to see Tyrell Williams walk in here, Gabe Jackson. Love to see (Vontaze) Burfict come back and play for us among others. Cle Ferrell is another guy. If we can get everybody humming together at the same level, I like where we’re going.”

Gruden called the videos of Jackson working out “exciting.”

“This guy has clearly worked hard,” Gruden said. “He looks better, I think, than he’s ever looked. He’s really gotten himself in great shape. We’ll be smart about it. We hope if it’s not this coming game, hopefully it’s the next. …

“Certainly he’ll give us a jolt when he comes back.”

Burfict, meanwhile, had his appeal hearing Tuesday for his suspension for a helmet-to-helmet hit against the Colts. It was a 12-game suspension for the rest of the season, but it was more of a lifetime achievement penalty than just for the one hit.

7. The Raiders have big plans for cornerback Daryl Worley
We got a taste of it when Worley played a little safety against the Chiefs and tight end Travis Kelce. But now, with cornerback Nevin Lawson back from a four-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs, it’s time to pull back the curtain.

“We have a big picture for Worley,” Gruden said. “We think Worley is going to be a hybrid player for us. A guy that can play at safety, at nickel, at left corner or right. As we go down the stretch here I think Worley’s role is going to expand.”

8. Gruden sees continued growth in quarterback Derek Carr
“He’s completing a lot of passes to a lot of different players, some he’s never met before,” Gruden said. “He’s moving our team. Some of the things that are happening in the running game, he gets a lot of credit for. We’re not running into uphill looks. He’s doing a lot of recognition at the line of scrimmage.”

Gruden said Carr has done a much better job of not taking sacks.

“He’s done a heck of a job aborting the football,” Gruden said. “His mastery of the offense is much better. He’s even coaching players. He’s coaching them on the sideline. He’s coaching them in the huddle. … You go on the road and beat Indianapolis and beat Chicago and put those kind of numbers together without a sack, that’s impressive … 95-yard drive in the fourth quarter to win.

“He’s been pinpoint with his throws. He’s been good with the football. He’s been a great leader for us. Give him a lot of credit.”

9. Gruden really, really loves rookie fullback Alec Ingold. (The second ‘really’ is new)
“You watch the first touchdown, he’s knocking a guy down off his feet,” Gruden said of Ingold. “On the goal-line play at the end of the game, he leaves his feet, launches and makes a great play.

“We’ve asked him to run the ball on short-yardage, fourth-and-1 in Indy, third-and-1 the other night, he’s gotten the first down. He is playing on special teams. I love that guy. I don’t want him to hear me say that, but I really deep down like that guy a lot. He’s what the position is all about.”

10. There are no plans to add fired Washington coach Jay Gruden to the staff. Today, anyway
“I’m not going to speculate about it,” Jon Gruden said of his brother Jay. “I’m obviously very disappointed for my brother. It’s been a long night the last couple of nights. He’s worked hard.

“I have a lot of respect for my brother, obviously, and am disappointed for him getting fired. But my dad’s been fired, I’ve been fired, Jay’s been fired. Welcome to the club, bro.”