ALAMEDA, Calif. -- The Oakland Raiders got back three key players from injury Wednesday. But they're still missing two other vital players as they creep closer to the regular season.
Outside linebacker Sio Moore, third-down running back Roy Helu (hamstring) and cornerback Keith McGill (undisclosed) returned to practice Wednesday as Oakland begins preparing for Sunday’s home preseason game against Arizona. However, starting defensive end Justin Tuck (undisclosed) and rookie tight end Clive Walford (hamstring) continue to sit out practice.
Moore and Helu are key returns for Oakland, Moore missed most of training camp as he recovers from a December hip surgery. Moore was expected to the starting weakside linebacker, as he was in his first two NFL season. However, free-agent addition Malcolm Smith has played well and he may be difficult to unseat.
Helu, who signed as a free agent from Washington, has missed all but a couple of days of training camp. He is expected to be a key contributor on offense.
McGill missed a short amount of time. The 2014 fourth-round pick is competing to start.
The time missed by Walford is concerning to Oakland. He didn’t start training camp because of the injury. He did return for two days and he played in the preseason opener against St. Louis on Aug. 14. He has not practiced since. Walford, who was a third-round pick from Miami, will need to get back on the practice soon if he expects to be ready for Oakland’s season opener Sept. 13 at home against Cincinnati.
Meanwhile, the Raiders cut rookie undrafted linebacker Chase Williams to make room for veteran safety Taylor Mays.
