NAPA, Calif. -- On the day the Oakland Raiders were supposed to see their whole team practice for the first time this training camp, they were missing one of their most important players.
Star running back Darren McFadden was sidelined, one day after breaking an orbital bone in his face, and is expected to miss a couple of weeks, according to Raiders coach Hue Jackson.
McFadden left practice early Wednesday with the injury. He delivered a hard block on linebacker Quentin Groves in one drill, but Jackson didn't say if that caused the injury.
"He'll be fine," Jackson said. "We'll get him back out here and keep on rolling."
After struggling in his first two seasons, McFadden had a breakout 2010. He led the team in rushing with 1,157 yards, added 507 receiving yards and scored 10 touchdowns.
McFadden finally delivered the big-play threat the Raiders had been waiting for since picking him fourth overall in the 2008 draft, leading the NFL with 14 carries of at least 20 yards.
The Raiders are short-handed at running back with rookie Taiwan Jones and veteran Michael Bennett also hurt, and Michael Bush waiting to sign his restricted free-agent tender.
"I think that's going to get resolved here soon. But yeah, we'd love to have him out here," Jackson said of Bush. "He's one of the backs on this team that's played well. So we have some other guys that are battling hard, but all I can really be concerned about are the guys that are here practicing."
With the collective bargaining agreement ratified by players earlier in the day, the Raiders were allowed to have their 15 new free-agent signees practice for the first time. But McFadden and more than 12 other players are out with various injuries.
While McFadden was Oakland's biggest playmaker on offense last season, that role early in training camp is being filled by rookie wide receiver Denarius Moore. The fifth-round pick out of Tennessee has been making highlight-reel catches in almost every practice, with his best coming Thursday on a pass from Jason Campbell.
Moore leaped over Stevie Brown and Demarcus Van Dyke in the back of the end zone and did a good job getting his toes down inbounds for a touchdown catch that left teammates gasping and led to a celebration usually reserved for more meaningful scores in the regular season.
"It was overwhelming for a rookie to make a play like that and then get supported by the whole team," Moore said. "The support and the love I was getting, I was real happy from it."
Moore caught another deep TD pass over Sterling Moore later in practice. That comes after Moore made three consecutive catches on Oakland's top cornerback, Stanford Routt, in Wednesday's practice.
"The young man can make some plays, can't he?" Jackson said. "Oh, my gosh is he something? He's fun to watch. Every day there's something. A ball goes up, he comes down with it and makes a play. He has tremendous talent. The game is not too big for him."
Moore had 112 catches for 2,004 yards in 52 games at Tennessee. He had his best year as a senior with 47 catches for 981 yards and nine touchdowns.
But he lasted until the fifth round in the draft in April.
"I came in with a chip on my shoulder," Moore said. "There was nothing I could do about it. Just come in, work as hard as I can to prove to everybody at work that I'm capable of doing it."
The Raiders have done well finding receivers late in the draft in recent years, selecting Louis Murphy in the fourth round in 2009 and Jacoby Ford in the fourth round last season.
Ford scored seven touchdowns as a rookie, making electric plays as a receiver, runner and returner. Moore already is showing similar skills.
"Denarius Moore is like another Jacoby," Campbell said. "He's like one of those guys that you pick up late in the draft, and you wonder, how did this guy fall? He's so talented, he's so athletic."
Notes: Jackson said there were no new developments with free-agent TE Kevin Boss, who worked out for the team Wednesday. ... The Raiders are restructuring a few contracts to get under the salary cap by Friday's deadline.
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press
