ALAMEDA -– Defensive lineman Mario Edwards Jr. is an active participant in the Raiders offseason program. Conditioning highlights the program’s initial phase, but the second-year pro has been involved as players have reassembled at the team’s Alameda complex.
Edwards Jr. has obviously been cleared for some forms of activity. He’s been working at the team facility for some time now. But the Raiders aren’t saying whether that’s a sign Edwards Jr. is on the mend after a scary neck injury suffered late last season.
Edwards Jr.’s status remains static.
“Nothing has really changed from what we talked about previously,” head coach Jack Del Rio said.
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The Raiders haven’t offered many updates since Del Rio dubbed it a significant injury. General manager Reggie McKenzie said in February that the issue may have been pre-existing, discovered after intense evaluation following the on-field neck injury suffered in Week 15 against Green Bay.
Little about Edwards Jr.’s status is clear. The player has stated on social media that he’ll come back strong, and his teammates have expressed confidence in his return.
Everything, however, remains vague. Del Rio didn’t want to clear it up, or address whether he would be on the field when OTAs begin next month.
“I think the way we’ve tried to approach it, we’ll continue to approach it, is not spending time discussing practice reports or who’s practicing or how much they’re practicing or what they’re able to do in practice during the offseason,” Del Rio said. “There’s a time when we get to the regular season where that’s required and we’ll do that accordingly. At this point, all the guys are doing what they can do, working and learning the systems. At this point, it’s really about working out and conditioning and things like that.”
