Aldon Smith eligible to play Sunday for Raiders vs Bengals

With their first game in just two days, the Raiders dropped a bombshell on Friday, signing former 49ers pass rusher Aldon Smith to a 1-year deal. He has been facing a possible suspension after an offseason DUI arrest which caused the team to cut ties with him. With no suspension having been handed down yet, the question on everyone's mind is whether he is eligible to play right now. And apparently, the answer is yes.

Despite off-field issues, Raiders' Aldon Smith IS eligible to play Sunday, per source. OAK will consider playing him, based on conditioning.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 11, 2015

As Schefter points out, conditioning will be a large determining factor. Smith was not in any training camp or preseason games and even with strong workout regimen on his part -- if that's what he was doing this whole time -- he would not be in football shape.

While it may be simple enough to point at the quarterback and say "sick him", there is still a lot of defensive calls Smith would need to familiarize himself with. He has two days to soak up a lot of instruction and he isn't exactly known for his mental capacity.

If Smith does see action Sunday, it would be on a very limited basis.

Keep in mind, the league is still reviewing his case and could bring down punishment at any time.

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