The Raiders have been plagued by injuries ever since the lockout ended. It seemed like a day could not go by without word of another Raider being injured and missing time. Finally, there was good news on the injury front as three players vital to the success of the Raiders returned to practice this week.
Runningback Darren McFadden, wide receiver Jacoby Ford and defensive end Trevor Scott all returned to practice this week, giving Hue Jackson the chance to start using some of his best players again.
McFadden and Ford were both injured in camp, with McFadden suffering a broken orbital bone and Ford suffering a broken hand. Scott, on the other hand, has been out since he was injured in a game against the Steelers last season.
These guys will likely not see much, if any, playing time in the remaining preseason games. The game against the New Orleans Saints might be a little too soon for them to see any action, and starters rarely play much, if at all in the final preseason game of the year. Jackson may choose to give them a few reps this weekend or the next, but in all likelihood, he will keep them out of harm’s way so they will be ready for the regular season opener against Denver.
Another player who returned to practice this week could very well see a significant amount of playing time over the final two preseason games. Rookie runningback Taiwan Jones returned to practice this week after spending most of training camp hampered with a hamstring. Jones returned to practice last week, but was unable to fully participate. It looks like he is fully participating this week, which means that Raiders fans could get a look at the speedy back this weekend.