ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Donald Penn took the practice field for the Oakland Raiders on Thursday for the second day in a row but was not made available to the media.
Penn, per the NFL Network, ended his 26-day holdout incurring more than $1 million in fines but without a new contract and reported to the team facility in hopes of getting a deal done. Still, Penn “may get a few reps” in Saturday’s exhibition at the Dallas Cowboys.
“We’re not going to play him long,” Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said when asked if Penn would play with the first-team offense, “but we’ll probably get him a few reps in the game.”
Penn, 34, worked out during his holdout.
Donald Penn has reassumed his spot for stretch at Raiders practice. The Pro Bowl left... https://t.co/iX0E7Yv4JM pic.twitter.com/ZqEgqEtVmO
— Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) August 24, 2017
“There’s a difference between game conditioning and football conditioning and being in shape,” Del Rio said. “He’s in shape; he’s a veteran guy who understands what he needs to do so, physically, he’s in a condition now.
“It’s a matter of him going through the timing and getting his body in sync with the demands of what we do. So, we’ll ease him in, give him a little bit this weekend. We gave him a little bit through the week in practice and we’ll be ready to roll.”
Penn, named to his second Pro Bowl last season, will regain his starting left tackle spot when he’s ready and Marshall Newhouse will return to the right side, where second-year player Vadal Alexander has been playing with the first-team offense.
Plus, rookie tackles David Sharpe and Jylan Ware have flashed on the left and right sides, respectively.
“It means we have more depth,” Del Rio said of Penn’s return. “And it’s good to have him back.”
Penn, who signed a two-year, $11.9 million deal in the spring of 2016, is scheduled to make $5.8 million this season. He purportedly wanted a salary in the top 10 of left tackles in the NFL. Per ESPN Stats & Information, it ranks 11th.
