Throughout training camp Raiders top draft pick Gareon Conley remained on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list with a shin injury. Each day it was the same story. He would take the field early in his bucket hat and post up between the fields where he would watch practice.

Several other players who entered camp on the PUP or NFI list such as Mario Edwards Jr, Bruce Irvin, Jon Feliciano, and Jihad Ward have since returned.

In each of those cases, the player would work on the side with trainers for a while in the days leading up to their return. Thursday, for the first time, Conley was seen doing just that.

Gareon Conley in a post-practice workout with members of athletic training staff. That is called progress. #Raiders. — Jerry McDonald (@Jerrymcd) August 24, 2017

Media on hand said he was sprinting and changing direction which is absolutely major progress considering he hadn’t done even light work in camp.

Though Conley has disputed the injury is shin splints, it is a shin injury of some kind. He suffered the injury in June minicamp which means he’s been out for nearly 2.5 months.

On the final day of Raiders’ training camp, Jack Del Rio said the next two weeks will be ‘huge’ for Conley’s chances of playing in the season opener or contributing early on. We are a week into that.