Darren McFadden took a step toward returning to action for the Raiders when he participated in practice for the first time since getting hurt in Week Nine against the Buccaneers.
How McFadden’s ankle feels after that step will go a long way toward determining whether McFadden will be able to rejoin the team for this week’s game against the Browns. Some of McFadden’s teammates think that’s where things are headed, but high ankle sprains don’t always resolve themselves as quickly as players might like.
The Raiders also got Mike Goodson back at practice. He was hurt in the same game as McFadden and has missed the last three games, which the Raiders have lost by a combined score of 127-47.
The returns might not change things all that much for the Raiders. They haven’t been losing because McFadden and Goodson are out of the lineup. Marcel Reese has averaged 4.8 yards per carry in the last three games, more than the 3.3 McFadden has managed while looking like an imperfect fit for the blocking scheme installed on offense by Oakland this season. Reese could still have a role beyond just playing fullback even with the other two backs returning to the mix.
Paul Gutierrez of CSNBayArea.com reports that there was no sign of defensive tackle Richard Seymour at practice. He’s also missed the last three games for the Raiders.