FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Mercurial New York Jets wideout Santonio Holmes practiced Monday for the first time this season. He'd been out for 10 months following foot surgery.

During the portion of practice open to the media, Holmes looked smooth cutting on the field, though he was running routes at less than full speed.

It is unclear if Holmes will play in Thursday's preseason finale against Philadelphia or in the Jets' regular season opener against Tampa Bay on Sept. 8. But the fact that Holmes returned to practice Monday is promising. If the Jets didn't expect him to play early in the season, they would've left him on the physically unable to perform list to start the year, meaning he'd miss a minimum of six games.

Holmes was not available to the media on Monday, but the last time he spoke with reporters he left several questions unanswered about the status of his foot.

Asked if there was a possibility he might miss the entire season last Wednesday, Holmes replied, "I don't really know how to answer that. We have 16 weeks of football. At any point, I could be ready to play."

Holmes, who underwent Lisfranc surgery 10 months ago, is -- by far -- the Jets' most accomplished receiver. The former Super Bowl MVP has 358 career receptions for 5,507 yards and 35 touchdowns.

"He's a guy that's done tremendous things in this league," quarterback Geno Smith said. "To see him out there running, healthy again, to get back into the mix of things, it's really promising because to add another weapon to this offense is going to make us better."

Added Mark Sanchez: "He looked pretty good. He's running around and catching passes, so it's nice to see him with a helmet on and ready to go."