PRO FOOTBALL REPORT WEEKDAY UPDATE : RAIDERS : McElroy’s Return Could Be Special

Activated Monday after his two-week roster exemption expired, safety Vann McElroy is eligible to play in Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears at the Coliseum.

“We’ll use him if there’s an opportunity where we have to use him,” Coach Art Shell said. “But he’ll help us on special teams.”

McElroy could also play in the Raiders’ nickel pass coverage.

Raider nose guard Bob Golic and his wife, Jackie, are expecting their first child Dec. 10, the date of the Raiders’ Monday night game against the Lions in Detroit.

“They said she’s probably going to have it early because the kid’s pretty big,” Golic said. “I’d like her to have it on a Wednesday or Thursday, because those are our tough (practice) days. With my luck, she’ll have it on Tuesday, our day off. It’s like (with) a kid who gets sick and doesn’t have to go to school--but it turns out to be Saturday.”

The Raiders rank 11th in the AFC in total offense but have the conference’s third-best defense behind Houston and Pittsburgh. The Raiders have given up 25 points in three games, fewest in the NFL.

Quarterback Jay Schroeder is the AFC’s No. 4 passer with a rating of 88.7, better than Boomer Esiason of Cincinnati and John Elway of Denver.