Raiders DE Maxx Crosby Close To Practicing

Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby is nearing a return from offseason surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.

“I’m at the point where I’m almost there, but I forget that I need to relax a little bit, so that’s kind of been the biggest battle right now,” Crosby said at last week’s OTAs (via ESPN’s Ryan McFadden).

The seven-year veteran has been present at spring practices, but he is only participating in calisthenics with his teammates before continuing his rehab with team trainers. He declined to set a clear timeline on his return, but indicated his recovery process has been better than last year, when he was coming back from arthroscopic surgery to repair a severely sprained ankle.

Crosby, 28, is considered somewhat of an iron man in the NFL, a rare defensive lineman who almost never leaves the field. He commanded a snap share of at least 94% over the last four years for a total of 3,869 snaps across 61 games, or 63.4 snaps per game. After two major injuries in back-to-back years, the amount of tread on his tires has become a concern – and may have been a factor in the Ravens’ controversial decision to back out of a trade for the five-time Pro Bowler. Crosby declined to comment on that situation, calling it “water under the bridge,” but admitted that he has carefully managed his workload during his rehab.

“This has forced me to have to take a step back in certain areas and not run 8,000 yards on the field every single day,” Crosby added.

Whether or not that will translate to the season remains to be seen. He has expressed renewed motivation following the scuttled move to Baltimore, and that will only increase if the Raiders’ heavy offseason investments – headlined by new head coach Klint Kubiak and No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza – can turn the team around right away. If Crosby is suddenly playing for a playoff contender for the first time in five years, it will be difficult to get him off the field as long as he can play.