The Raiders have had a revolving door at left tackle since the start of training camp and it looks like one of the players who briefly filled the role is ready to walk back through.
Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that rookie Menelik Watson returned to practice on Wednesday. It is Watson’s first time on the field since injuring his knee at a practice early last month. He subsequently had arthroscopic surgery and has missed the first four games of the season.
Watson, a second-round pick in April, is likely to be listed as a limited participant when the Raiders’ practice report is released and we’ll get more of an idea about his chances of playing against the Chargers late on Sunday night as the week progresses.
Once Watson is ready to play in a game, he’ll likely return to the starting role on the left side that he inherited when Alex Barron washed out as the first man up to replace Jared Veldheer. Veldheer is on injured reserve with the designation to return and will be eligible to practice after the sixth week of the season. Khalif Barnes has been starting on the left side after moving over from the right when Watson got hurt.