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Trent Richardson cleared to practice by Raiders

Trent Richardson is ready to go.

The Raidersannounced Thursday that the veteran running back has returned to practice with the team. He started training camp on the non-football injury list.

Richardson had been forced to miss practice because of pneumonia, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle.

"This is probably the most eager I've been going to practice in a long time," Richardson said Thursday. "I've been sick. Lot of people saying something about I was overweight. I was nowhere near being overweight. I actually came in around 220, 222."

"He came back very close to the weight, which was a pretty ambitious goal to get to," Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said, via RaiderBeat.com. "He's down in the low 220s. That's what we asked of him. That's where he was. ... He'll have a chance to come out here and show what he's really capable of."

Richardson's return comes not a moment too soon for a former first-round pick playing on his third team in four years. Latavius Murray and Roy Helu Jr. appear to be roster locks, while undrafted free agent Michael Dyer has earned praise early in camp.

Richardson needs a strong camp and preseason to prove he's a worthy reclamation project. Getting back on the field is a vital first step.

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