NAPA – Antonio Brown was back practicing with the Raiders on Saturday in walkthrough sessions.
This activity follows the essentially full speed work warm-ups he went through prior to Thursday’s exhibition against the Arizona Cardinals. He ran routes, cut hard and changed direction without hindrance, actions that have caused discomfort while rehabbing frostbitten feet.
The Raiders will conduct their next full practice Sunday, but Brown should be active in that workout if all continues as planned.
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That means we’re back to football talk when it comes to Brown, temporarily at least. His quest to wear his preferred helmet is closer but hasn’t been worked out yet. Brown will successfully complete that effort or, if it unexpectedly goes awry, he’ll find another certified option.
That wasn’t Saturday’s concern. The Raiders are focused on reintegrating Brown into the offensive flow, something that’s already going smooth.
“You have to stay on top of Jon Gruden’s offense all the time, and you could tell that Antonio has been studying,” quarterback Derek Carr said. “He didn’t miss a beat.”
Brown was a full participant in the Saturday morning walk-through, and his activity should ramp up and he’ll become a normal presence in the Raiders’ work. His unique foot issue – to football players, anyway – is almost exclusively behind him.
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“He took all the reps in our walkthrough,” Gruden said. “He showed great retention.”
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Having Brown back will add some normalcy to the Raiders’ work, and allow the offense to get in sync. It’s impossible to replicate his unique talents, especially at full speed, so having him around will be of great benefit.
“I can get to all my checks, just like I do during the season,” Carr said. “Then I have Tyrell (Williams) and Darren Waller and all of our running backs at the same time, and they’re all covered one-on-one. Who do you go to? That the mental game you’re going to have to play. It’s nice to have him, and I can play it like a real game in terms of where I throw and what I do.”