Trent Richardson returns to practice for Raiders

So lacking the primary week of coaching camp due to a bout with pneumonia wasn’t precisely the easiest way to impress his new group.

After starting training camp on the “Active/Non-Football Illness” list, Trent Richardson hit the practice field with the Oakland Raiders on Thursday for the first time since camp began.

“I had pneumonia”, said Richardson. “This is probably the most eager I’ve been going to practice in a long time”. “I actually came back in at 220 [pounds], 222 [pounds], something like that. I haven’t been on the market training”.

Making the first preseason game and having a strong performance seems like a key for Richardson as he needs to get back some of the distance he lost to Dyer during his absence for much of the first week of camp. The coaches and training staff told him to recover fully before returning to the practice field.

Richardson was capable of run on the aspect the previous few days and get loads of time in his playbook whereas ready to recuperate. “Everyone is and we’re rising collectively. I felt like I was missing time on that”, Richardson said. Even when I was a little heavier, I only had 10% body fat so it was kind of hard saying you’re going to lose muscle mass and came to find out I got real big bones too.

“I don’t know [if] they was trying to get me to lose muscle mass, but that’s hard”, said Richardson. That’s one factor I used to be doing.

“Feels good, man”, Richardson continued.

Richardson entered the NFL as some of the promising operating backs in years after a profitable school profession at Alabama.

Greatness was expected out of Richardson when he was drafted No. 3 overall in 2012 by the Cleveland Browns.

NAPA, Calif. (AP) – Trent Richardson looked at his opportunity in Oakland as a fresh start after the once-heralded running back prospect struggled for two years in Indianapolis.

The Browns traded him to Indianapolis in 2013 for a first-round pick. Second of all, I’ve got a lot to prove to myself. “Everybody wants to put pressure on me”. People want me to be great out here.

Richardson heard reports that suggested he was overweight, and while he wouldn’t say he grew frustrated by them, he responded.

Richardson was suspended for last season’s AFC title game after reportedly missing the team’s walk-through the day before because of a family emergency that he didn’t notify the team about.

Dyer and Helu are now sidelined by injuries, leading to Richardson getting extra time on Thursday as the Raiders try to determine what his role will be. “We have a number of weeks left”. That’s what we asked of him. “We want to devise some plays that fit his strengths as well”.

The final play of practice was Tevin McDonald’s interception of a pass by Christian Ponder.

“I think that’s going to evolve as we get going”, Musgrave said. RT Menelik Watson missed practice after leaving with an injury Wednesday, giving Austin Howard a shot to play with the first team.