After struggling to produce some explosiveness in the return game last season, the Oakland Raiders are trying to remedy the situation in 2015.
General Manager Reggie McKenzie selected Florida wide receiver Andre Debose in the seventh round (No. 221 overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft to help bolster the return game, but the rookie speedster tore his Achilles during the offseason, dashing any hopes of him seeing the field this season.
Enter Trindon Holliday, who was signed by the Raiders the same day the team was forced to waive/injured Andre Debose.
Since he entered the NFL in 2011, the speedy receiver has made his mark primarily as a return man, returning 54 kicks for 1,455 yards and two touchdowns.
He is also the first player in league history with both a punt return touchdown and a kick return touchdown in the same postseason game, a 2012 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
After being put on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform list and missing the first few practices of Training Camp 2015, Holliday returned to practice Monday.
"It was nice to be out there after missing the first couple of days and then to come out the last two days, it felt pretty good," said Holliday.
While the former LSU Tiger and top-ranked sprinter was happy to be back on the field with his teammates, he did acknowledge that there were some kinks to work out after a few days on the shelf.
"My first day I felt kind of slow," Holliday admitted. "Then coming out today I feel like I had my feet under myself today. It felt a lot better."
After splitting time between three teams last season, Holliday is hopeful that he can earn the starting return job in Oakland; it also helps that he has some experience with special teams coordinator Brad Seely.
"It was a big factor in me signing here," Holliday said when asked about Seely. "I worked with him in San Francisco, so when I found out he was here, I tried to make it happen."
At the end of the day, Holliday will be in the mix for return duties with cornerback TJ Carrie presumably seeing an expanded role on defense, and that is something that excites the veteran return man.
"It's a good feeling, being able to come out and make plays for your team," Holliday said. ". It's very special and it feels good when you're able to do that."
