Bills WR Terrell Owens tests injured toe in brief return to practice

Bills’ Owens tests toe in brief return to practice

PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Terrell Owens made a brief return to practice on Monday night to test his sprained toe that is getting better but not fully healed.

After stretching with teammates, Owens spent about 15 minutes running routes and catching passes in individual drills. He then took off his helmet and practice jersey, and pulled on a red baseball cap to watch part of the session before going for treatment.

Owens didn’t speak to reporters after his first time back on the field since jamming his foot during the first series of a 21-18 loss to Tennessee in the Hall of Fame game on Aug. 9.

Bills coach Dick Jauron said Owens felt OK after practice, but noted he is still sore.

Jauron didn’t say when Owens might be cleared for a full practice or whether he’d be ready to play Saturday, when the Bills take on the Packers at Green Bay.

“We’ll have to see how he tolerated this evening,” Jauron said. “We’ll talk to him (Tuesday) and see where it goes and keep taking the next step.”

Before practice, Owens also took part in a full-team, autograph-signing session with fans on an adjacent field at the Bills’ training camp complex. The Bills took precautions with Owens, having him ride in a golf cart after the session was over.

Also attending practice were Owens’ publicists and friends, Kita Williams and Monique Jackson, who are costarring on the receiver’s reality TV show.

Bills receiver Roscoe Parrish and rookie tight end Shawn Nelson both left the field during practice after feeling ill. Though temperatures were in the high 80s and the conditions were humid, Jauron said heat exhaustion was not the likely factor. He said several players, including Parrish, are complaining of an illness.