Donald Penn’s Streak Will Come to an End

Donald Penn hasn’t missed a game since 2007, a streak of 170 consecutive starts.

That will end on Christmas night, when the Raiders’ starting left tackle will be absent for Oakland’s game against the Eagles in Philadelphia.

Penn suffered a foot injury early in the loss to the Dallas Cowboys this past weekend and will miss the remaining two games of this season, said head coach Jack Del Rio Monday. Del Rio said Penn will have surgery Wednesday to correct the problem.

In his absence, rookie David Sharpe is expected to get snaps at left tackle. Or, Marshall Newhouse could flip from right to left tackle, as he did during the Cowboys game, with Vadal Alexander taking Newhouse’s spot.

Penn, 34, held out during training camp and signed a two-year extension with the Raiders, so he’ll return next season. Penn is due to earn a base of $6 million for 2018 and 2019, with bonuses that could take the total payment to $8.35 million next season and $10.35 million in 2019.

Sharpe, a fourth-round pick from Florida, hasn’t received much action this season. But Del Rio and the Raiders would like to get him some experience.

“We’ll see how the week goes,” Del Rio told Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, when asked about Sharpe’s role this week. “That’s why he’s here, and then obviously the way we finished the game the other night is an option. So we’ve got some work to do through the week in practice and see how guys prepare and how they work.”