Mario Edwards Jr leaves Raiders OTA practice early, several others absent

Earlier this month, Mario Edwards said he was fully cleared to return to practice for the Raiders. He was on the field for the start of OTA practice, but left following the warmup period and didn't return.

Edwards had missed the final three games of last season with a neck injury and his status to return had been uncertain for a good portion of the offseason. It's possible Edwards suffered a setback, though it's unknown whether his departure from practice was directly related to the neck injury.

Head coach Jack Del Rio was asked following practice if Edwards was being brought along slowly, to which he said wasn't the case.

"We're doing what we need to do and being smart and just taking care of business with each player," Del Rio added. "What they can do, we're doing, and what they can't they're not. It's really simple, cut and dry. But everybody's here, everybody's eager, everybody wants to go and guys that can will go and guys that can't will keep working with Joe and the trainers until they're ready to be let loose with us."

"We feel good about being able to have all those guys able to join us at some point here and hopefully not too far away."

There were a good number of players who either weren't on the field at all, or were out there but unable to practice.

Those who were not on the field at all were Denico Autry, Roy Helu Jr (hips), Reggie Nelson, and Jaydon Mickens. Of those, Mickens was absent due to graduation rules at University of Washington. If as Del Rio said, they were all at the facility, they didn't come out to the practice field.

Those who were out there but not practicing were Karl Joseph (ACL knee), Neiko Thorpe, Clive Walford (knee), Neiron Ball, Malcolm Smith, and Jimmy Hall.

Joseph was doing light work on the side as he targets a return for training camp.

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