HENDERSON, Nev. -- Maxx Crosby's first practice since December 2025 required the Las Vegas Raiders coaching staff to proceed with caution.
After seven months of rehab from knee surgery, Crosby arrived for training camp at full strength, meaning each rep would be played with his hair on fire. With that knowledge, coach Klint Kubiak, defensive coordinator Rob Leonard and many others in the building approached the All-Pro edge rusher ahead of camp to remind him to tone down his intensity and avoid making contact with the quarterbacks.
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"I just can't tell you how many people have come up to me already and just been like, 'All right, so you know at practice, you can't do this,'" Crosby said while smiling from ear to ear. "I got up a whole textbook full of rules that I got to follow, or I'm going to get in trouble, but that comes with it.... I practice one way. I know that I push the line, and sometimes I go over the line."
Sure enough, on the second day of camp, Crosby flew into the backfield, forcing quarterback Kirk Cousins to quickly maneuver away from him before throwing to tight end Brock Bowers. Crosby believed he should have been credited with a sack. Cousins thought otherwise. One thing was certain: Crosby looked like he hadn't missed a beat.
Crosby's return to the field left some teammates mesmerized by how he looked explosive despite not participating in the offseason program. For the five-time Pro Bowl selection, his presence during the first week of camp was a testament to the work he put into the recovery process to get to this point.
"I don't think you can really tell that he went through what he went through last year, honestly," linebacker Quay Walker said. "Me and [linebacker] Nakobe [Dean] talked about that on the sideline.... After the first team period, we were like, 'man, Maxx is flying.'"
Crosby said it was a blessing to be playing with his teammates after a grueling rehab. He underwent surgery in early January to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee, an injury he played through for most of last season. For a little more than a month, he was in a cast and couldn't put pressure on his knee.