Jeremy Shockey missed the New Orleans Saints' Friday morning minicamp practice because of back spasms, but he returned for the afternoon session.
Saints coach Sean Payton said Shockey's back -- not the seizure-like symptoms that sent him to the hospital last week -- was the problem.
"The back is something we are going to take day to day," Payton said after the morning workout. "It's something that he's had before, and it's something that's been aggravated in the past day and a half, so we will just play that day by day, and we'll get him out here sooner rather than later."
"Sooner" ended up being a few hours later, when Shockey joined his Saints teammates on the practice field and caught passes, NFL Network's Scott Hanson reported. Shockey also participated in drills with his fellow tight ends and joined the offense to work on formations.
Payton attributed Shockey's previous issue to low blood sugar and dehydration, saying it wasn't a seizure. Shockey, a four-time Pro Bowl pick who's entering his ninth NFL season, also was hospitalized for dehydration last year after a party at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas.
"He just finished his set on the bench press and felt faint," Payton said of last week's scare. "They got him hydrated, did all the tests, and fortunately, they all came back positive. Right now, it's really the other thing (the back spasms) that he's working on and working on rehab. We are just trying to calm it down and make sure he's healthy. We've got a pretty good stretch here in the next two weeks."
Payton also said he wasn't surprised that running back Pierre Thomas and left tackle Jammal Brown were absent from the mandatory practices. Thomas and Brown haven't signed their tender offers from the Saints and want long-term contracts, and Payton said he didn't have an update on their situations.
Wide receiver Lance Moore and safety Roman Harper also haven't accepted their tenders, but they signed injury waivers and were on the field Friday.
Rain forced the Saints to move minicamp indoors and close it to fans who were expected to crowd the team's training center to watch an afternoon practice and see the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
The Super Bowl champions opened minicamp with an outdoor practice that was closed to the public Friday morning, but they had to finish that training session on their full-size indoor field after a nearby lightning strike.
Saints officials said they plan to open practices to the public Saturday morning and Sunday morning. A practice scheduled for Saturday afternoon will be closed to the public.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
