Defensive end Andre Carter's nearly 10-month long journey to return from a torn quadriceps muscle will end Sunday at Atlanta when he makes his Raiders debut.
Carter, who has 76 career sacks, signed with the Raiders as a free agent on Sept. 27 but was inactive that week for their game against Denver. But after practice Friday, coach Dennis Allen said Carter will suit up and play against the Falcons.
"I'll be part of the rotation," Carter said. "Just to be a part of this defense is something that's very special to me, and I'm just glad to be back after a long, long recovery through this injury."
Carter was injured at Denver in what turned out to be his final game as a New England Patriot.
"I knew the road to recovery was going to be a process," Carter said. "In this situation, it's something you definitely have to be very patient about. You got to be smart. You don't want to rush anything. You don't want to have any major setbacks. So I did the necessary things as far as my recovery. Rest is always important and just grinding it out day by day with my physical therapist and weight training."
Allen has been patient since signing Carter, holding him out the first game and letting him take advantage of the bye week to better prepare for his Raiders debut.
The Raiders have only three sacks, tied with Jaguars for the fewest in the NFL, and they can definitely use his pass-rush skills and the experience he gained from playing 10 seasons in the league.
"It gives us a little bit more veteran leadership," Allen said. "He’s a guy that understands how to do it, and he’s done it at a high level. He’s come in and tried to help the whole group. He’s been a good addition for us.
"He’ll be a rotational player, and, really, that’s how we’ve handled the defensive line anyway. You have to try to limit the number of plays that they play, especially playing a team like Atlanta that throws the ball like they do. You want to make sure you keep some fresh rushers out there."
Carter said he's comfortable playing either right or left defensive end and has worked at both with the Raiders in practice and also played both last season at New England, where he earned his first Pro Bowl berth.
As for how many plays his body can handle, Carter said he'll have to wait and see.
"There's practice tempo and there's game tempo, so I'm just going to take it play by play and give it all I've got," he said. "But I'm ready for whatever."
Follow Raiders reporter Eric Gilmore on Twitter @CBSRaiders.
