Akeem Dent speaks

Saturday was the first time we heard from Akeem Dent, the unofficial captain of the defense who's been out most of preseason camp after toe surgery.

But Dent is back at practice - and walking barefoot around the Butts-Mehre Building on Saturday. So I had to ask him if that was a good idea.

"I walk around barefoot in my house," Dent answered smiling. "I walk around barefoot in the locker room."

Turning serious, Dent added that he was "just happy to be back playing with my teammates."

Still, it's not certain that Dent will start in the opener against Louisiana-Lafayette. He admitted he wasn't quite at full strength yet.

"I'm close to getting back to where I was before the injury," Dent said.

The exact cause of Dent's toe injury also remains a mystery. He smiled when asked about it.

"It was something off the field," Dent said.