Raiders receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey was a full participant in practice Monday after sitting out earlier training camp practices with an undisclosed injury, and he showed off a combination of the talent that made him the seventh overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft and the problems holding onto the ball that have made him a disappointment.
According to Jerry McDonald of the Bay Area News Group, Heyward-Bey had one drop of the five passes thrown to him and caught the other four, although he fumbled one of those four when cornerback Chris Johnson punched it out from behind.
Heyward-Bey was pleased with his performance.
“I felt pretty good for the most part,” Heyward-Bey said. “I connected with Jason [Campbell] and it felt good.”
Said Raiders coach Hue Jackson, “He looked like a guy that’s getting ready. He did some good things, caught some balls, is getting back in the swing of it. It’s a good time to have him back out there. Another pair of veteran legs.”
That doesn’t exactly sound like a ringing endorsement, but the mere fact that Heyward-Bey was on the field and involved represents progress.