Javon Walker

Raiders coach Tom Cable said there's enough depth at wide receiver to survive without emerging go-to guy Chaz Schilens. That may be, but the drop off was considerable as soon as Schilens left practice with a broken left foot (4-6 weeks, by the way).

In 7-on-7 and team drills, quarterback Jamarcus Russell struggled to find an open receiver or flat-out missed what receivers were open. When in doubt, Schilens was becoming Russell's primary target. Now, it looks like tight end Zach Miller is hired again.

More to the point, next week's return of Javon Walker becomes paramount to the passing game getting anywhere when the season starts.

His return was considered a bonus before Monday. Now, September's success is depending on the enigmatic receiver being great coming off another knee surgery.