Vann McElroy Back; Status Still in Doubt

Vann McElroy, the Raiders’ two-time Pro Bowl safety, returned to practice Wednesday, meaning that he must be activated this week or next, or cut.

McElroy suffered a calf injury in Game 4. However, he was additionally held out of drills for two weeks after he said he was ready, raising speculation that the Raiders didn’t plan to re-activate him.

McElroy was persuaded to renegotiate his $575,000 contract before the season. Instead of the $36,000 he would have been due, he agreed to take an estimated $25,000 for any game that he missed because of injury, meaning that the club has saved $11,000 for every game he wasn’t active.