Antonio Brown moves closer to practice return for Raiders

NAPA, Calif. (AP) — Antonio Brown made it through a walkthrough practice for the Oakland Raiders with no issues with his frost-bitten feet and is expected to be a full participant in practice soon for the first time this summer.

Coach Jon Gruden said Saturday he thinks Brown will be able to get back into practice before the Raiders play their third exhibition game next week in Winnipeg, Manitoba, against the Green Bay Packers.

Brown has not taken part in a full practice session all of training camp as he dealt with injuries to his feet suffered in a cryotherapy mishap in France last month and fought with the NFL over the helmet he is allowed to use.

“He did everything with us just now,” quarterback Derek Carr said. “The man’s recall is unbelievable. He came in and had no mental errors. In this offense, that’s not easy to do. Especially whenever you have a day off just even as a player, you come back and you have to stay on Coach Gruden’s offense all the time. You can tell Antonio has been studying because he came out and didn’t miss a beat.”

Brown started training camp on the nonfootball injury list because of the injuries to his feet. He participated in one warmup and part of one practice before leaving the team briefly to get treatment and deal with a grievance with the NFL over his helmet. He returned to the team Tuesday after losing the grievance and began looking for a new helmet. He took part in pregame warmups in Arizona two days later and the walkthrough Saturday.

Brown is being counted on as a major part of Oakland’s offense this season after being acquired in a trade from the Steelers in March. He had 686 catches and 9,145 yards receiving in his final six seasons with the Steelers, the best mark for a receiver in a six-year span.

In Brown’s absence, the Raiders have gotten good contributions in practice and preseason games with the other receivers on the roster in a positive sign at a position that was a weakness last season.

Tyrell Williams has been a standout at practice as the projected starter across from Brown and had a leaping 27-yard grab against the Cardinals in his only brief preseason appearance. Undrafted rookie Keelan Doss is making a case for a roster spot with seven catches for 47 yards and a TD in two exhibition games. Fifth-round rookie slot receiver Hunter Renfrow and free-agent acquisitions J.J. Nelson and Ryan Grant have also flashed.

“It’s awesome,” Williams said. “I feel like we have guys with speed, guys with size, guys that work in the slot. Everybody has something that’s really unique to them, and I think everybody can do everything, too. So it’s just nice to see. Especially in the game, seeing the undrafted guys go out there and make plays because I know how it felt in that same situation when I first came in, so seeing them have success is awesome.”