The Raiders have opened the season with four wins in their first six games and their record might be even better if their defense were a little stouter.
The Raiders have allowed more yards per game than any other team in the league so far this season, which helps opposing offenses put points off the board and keeps the Raiders’ own 8th-place offense off the field for long stretches of games. One thing that might help improve the results on defense is the return of defensive end Mario Edwards, who was placed on injured reserve with a hip injury before the first game of the season.
Edwards can’t play until eight weeks have gone by, but he can start practicing with the team now. Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said that while Edwards isn’t ready to do that yet, there’s hope that he’ll take a step forward in his rehab.
“I hope that he can begin running on the side,” Del Rio said, via the East Bay Times. “He hasn’t done that yet, so we think he’ll begin to run on the side this week and we’ll bring him into practice as soon as he’s cleared.”
Edwards would first be eligible to play in Week Nine against the Broncos. The Raiders have a bye the next week, which may make Week 11 a likelier spot for his return unless things move quicker than anticipated in the coming days.