Justin Ellis was back at practice yesterday, and the Raiders announced that they’ve designated the defensive lineman to return from the injured reserve. The team will now have 21 days to add the veteran to their active roster. We heard last week that the 27-year-old was nearing a return to practice.
“It was a great feeling [to get back on the field],” Ellis said. “I was smiling inside, I was working trying to knock the rust off. Inside, seeing my guys happy to have me back was a great feeling.”
Ellis originally suffered a foot injury during Oakland’s season-opener against the Rams, and the team subsequently placed him on the injured reserve. It was expected that the 27-year-old would return to practice in late October, but the defensive tackle apparently needed some extra time to recover.
“He looks good, it’ll be great to get him back,” said defensive coordinator Paul Guenther. “We haven’t had him since the first ball game, he’s a big part of what we’re doing here. He practiced yesterday, but he looks good. He feels good, and hopefully he’ll be up and running Sunday.”
The Raiders’ new regime will certainly want to see what they have in Ellis, especially after he inked a three-year, $15MM extension with the team during the offseason. Pro Football Focus graded him as one of the league’s better run stopping tackles last year, and he finished the 2017 campaign with 48 tackles and 0.5 sacks in 16 games (14 starts).
Ellis was one of three Raiders defensive tackles currently sitting on the injured reserve (along with Eddie Vanderdoes and Ahtyba Rubin). When he’s ultimately added to the active roster, he’ll be joining a healthy grouping that includes P.J. Hall, Maurice Hurst, Johnathan Hankins, and Clinton McDonald.