Darren Waller, Hunter Renfrow return to practice for Raiders

The Raiders welcomed back tight end Darren Waller and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow on Wednesday, but when they will play again remains uncertain.

Both were designated to return to practice from injured reserve, opening a 21-day window for the Raiders to decide whether to activate either to the roster. That means they could play Sunday when the Raiders host the Patriots at Allegiant Stadium, depending on how they look in practice.

“We’re going to have to see how the next few days go,” coach Josh McDaniels said.

Waller, who has battled hamstring injuries most of the season, sounded upbeat after completing his first full practice in more than two months.

“A good first day,” he said.

Waller said he was optimistic about his chances to play Sunday, but wants to get through a full week of practice first.

“It’s been a while since I’ve done that,” Waller said. “So I’m going to keep it as simple as that and see what happens at the end of the week.”

Renfrow, who has missed time with a concussion and an oblique injury, also was upbeat and said he was just happy to be back with his teammates.

While the return of the two gives a boost to the offense, it does little for the Raiders’ fading playoff hopes. At 5-8, they have the 11th spot in the AFC playoff race, with the Jaguars (5-8), Jets (7-6) and Chargers (7-6) ahead of them among teams on the outside of the seven-team playoff bubble. The Bengals (9-4), Dolphins (8-5) and Patriots (7-6) have the three wild-card spots.

That doesn’t mean the final four games aren’t crucial for the Raiders. It’s a chance to see what the offense can do with its Pro Bowl tight end and slot receiver back on the field.

“It’s extremely important,” Waller said. “The vision of this team had all of us out there. We all know that.”

It has been a frustrating season for Waller going back to training camp. The first of two hamstring injuries sidelined him for most of camp, and the second one has limited him to four full games. He hasn’t played since Oct. 10 in Kansas City.

It’s been the same type of season for Renfrow. A concussion in Week 2 and an oblique injury in early November have cost him seven games.

“It’s been frustrating for sure,” he said. “It’s given you the perspective of anything can change at any minute. Football can be taken away from you at any minute. So just enjoy the time you have, enjoy your teammates.”

Between them, Waller and Renfrow have played fewer than 29 percent of the offensive snaps. The grouping of Waller, Renfrow, Davante Adams and Derek Carr has played 43 of the 840 offensive snaps.

Clearly, that wasn’t the plan when the Raiders traded for Adams in the offseason, then signed Carr, Waller and Renfrow to contract extensions.

“I’m sure that’s not what Zieg (general manager Dave Ziegler) and coach McDaniels envisioned,” Renfrow said. “But hopefully we can get back healthy now and have a great end of the year.”

And maybe create some semblance of a sample size of what they can look like together.

“That’s the question, right?” Renfrow said. “That’s what we’re going to try to achieve. Individually, you have to play well, and then collectively we will play well.”

Said McDaniels: “If you can get a good look at them a couple of weeks — two, three, four, whatever it is — that gives you a better idea of what you might be able to do.”

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.