Smith applies for NFL return
Oakland hopes to have linebacker, Edwards Jr. back on defense soon
SARASOTA, Fla. — The Raiders defense could get a boost if two key players are able to return down the stretch.
Outside linebacker Aldon Smith applied for reinstatement to the NFL, a source confirmed to the Bay Area News Group. The San Francisco Chronicle first reported the news.
Defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. also could finally be getting closer to a return to action. He joined the team in Florida on Thursday, although he was not in sight when the team hit the practice field at IMG Academy in Bradenton.
If all goes well, the Raiders (52) could theoretically have both players in uniform when they travel to Mexico City to face the Houston Texans on Nov. 21.
That could be a stretch for Smith though. His one-year
banishment for violating the league’s substance abuse policy expires Nov. 17, but he still must be cleared to return by commissioner Roger Goodell.
The Raiders have not been able to have direct contact with Smith, with the exception of director of player engagement Lamonte Winston.
“Aldon is doing well,” Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie told the Chronicle. “That situation is going to be totally up to the league because he’s been in the program and they’ve monitored him. It’s up to Goodell to say yah, nay or when. And he could say no to everything.”
Smith is expected to meet with Goodell at some point. A request to speak with McKenzie on Thursday was not granted.
The Raiders have maintained they are more concerned about Smith getting the help he needs as a person than they are about getting him back on the football field.
Smith has had five runins with the law since 2011 when the 49ers made him a first-round pick. He was cut by San Francisco after the last one, an August 2015 charge of drunken driving, hit and run and vandalism.
Oakland signed him on the eve of the 2015 season and he played the first nine games before the suspension, which the team had anticipated. He became a free agent in the offseason but the Raiders signed him to a two-year deal, although he’s not getting paid until he’s reinstated.
“Whether he comes back to us or not, it has no bearing,” McKenzie said of Smith in August, shortly after he checked into a rehab facility following the circulation of a video on social media that hinted at possible marijuana use. Smith denied he was the person in the video.
“We told him from Day 1, we care more about you than the player,” McKenzie said. “So, whatever he does to ensure his health, we’re going to stand behind him. We know his situation, it’s not that we have blinders, you know. Going into last year, we knew the suspension was probable and it was going to be an uphill battle. He’s just going to have to fight the good fight, but we’re not going to bail on him. But, he has to do his part.”
While the Raiders have approached Smith’s situation with no expectations, his reinstatement could be a boost to a pass rush that has just nine sacks, tied for third-worst in the league.
The same could be said for Edwards, who remains on injured reserve with a hip injury. The Raiders plan to designatehimas their one player who can be activated from IR and he was eligible to begin practicing as of last week. He’s required to sit out the season’s first eight games.
Raiders coach Jack Del Rio had hoped to get him out running on the side last week, but that didn’t happen and Edwards didn’t initially travel with the team to Florida. After the Raiders confirmed he is now with the team, as ESPN initially reported, Edwards still is not practicing and didn’t do any work on the side during the media viewing window Thursday.
A day before, Del Rio said, “when he’s cleared, he’ll go. Until then, he’s going to do stuff, whether it’s on the side or with the trainers and the doctors like all players that are in that designation where doctors have control.”
Although Edwards could technically play when the Raiders host the Denver Broncos on Nov. 6, it’s unlikely he’ll have enough practice time to get ready, making the post-bye trip to Mexico a more likely target date.
Running back/special teamer Taiwan Jones (knee) returned to practice in a limited capacity on Thursday, while defensive tackle Stacy McGee (ankle) remained sidelined.