ALAMEDA – Derrick Burgess was seen leaving team headquarters in his black truck shortly after noon the past two days.
That means the two-time Pro Bowl defensive end still isn't practicing, and his status for Sunday's game in Baltimore against the Ravens is uncertain.
Raiders coach Tom Cable said Burgess would be a game-time decision.
Burgess hasn't practiced since reinjuring his triceps Oct. 6.
"It depends if he can do something (today)," Cable said. "If he can't do something (today), probably not."
Without Burgess, the Raiders would rotate Jay Richardson and Kalimba Edwards at defensive end.
The defensive line received a boost with tackle Gerard Warren returning to practice. He sat out Wednesday with a sore ankle.
Warren was limited but is "fine and ready to go," according to Cable.
Warren took part in individual drills and a portion of team practice.
"Every week, (Warren's) gone out and impacted a football game," Cable said. "Just got to keep him coming and keep him healthy."
Return to duty – Johnnie Lee Higgins was off to a good start returning kickoffs, a job he had because rookie Tyvon Branch broke his thumb in the Raiders' first exhibition game.
Branch began returning kickoffs two weeks ago but has struggled, leading the Raiders to consider giving more chances to Higgins.
Branch has averaged 14.6 yards on five kickoff returns, compared with 25.2 yards by Higgins on 21 returns. Higgins' longest return this season was for 69 yards, while Branch's was 20.
Branch fumbled one of his four returns Sunday against the New York Jets but recovered the ball.
"We kind of worked with both of them the last two days," Cable said Thursday. "We'll go in and look at the film and make a decision for that."
More injuries – Running back Darren McFadden was limited Thursday by a sore toe. He injured the toe in Week 2 and practiced every day without limitations for the first time last week.
McFadden said there was nothing to worry about and he wasn't in extreme pain.
"Just trying to keep from getting to that point," he said.
Linebacker Jon Alston (foot) did not practice and also is a game-time decision.
Read Jason Jones' Raiders blog at www.sacbee.com/ raidersblog.
What You Should Know About Comments on Sacbee.com
Sacbee.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. (See our full terms of service here.)
Here are some rules of the road:
• Keep your comments civil. Don't insult one another or the subjects of our articles. If you think a comment violates our guidelines click the "report abuse" button to notify the moderators. Responding to the comment will only encourage bad behavior.
• Don't use profanities, vulgarities or hate speech. This is a general interest news site. Sometimes, there are children present. Don't say anything in a way you wouldn't want your own child to hear.
• Do not attack other users; focus your comments on issues, not individuals.
• Stay on topic. Only post comments relevant to the article at hand. If you want to discuss an issue with a specific user, click on his profile name and send him a direct message.
• Do not copy and paste outside material into the comment box.
• Don't repeat the same comment over and over. We heard you the first time.
• Do not use the commenting system for advertising. That's spam and it isn't allowed.
• Don't use all capital letters. That's akin to yelling and not appreciated by the audience.
You should also know that The Sacramento Bee does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "report abuse" button to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at feedback@sacbee.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.
If you submit a comment, the user name of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them, but you may ask our staff to retract one of your comments by sending an email to feedback@sacbee.com. Again, make sure you note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us your profile name.
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.