PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : RAIDERS : McCallum Back; Benson Is Cut

The problem was the lack of a return man.

The Raider solution is the return of Napoleon McCallum.

The Raiders re-signed McCallum Thursday, cutting linebacker Tom Benson to make room for McCallum on the roster.

With Tim Brown not expected to play Monday night against the Kansas City Chiefs, McCallum will return punts.

He will also work with the kick-return unit.

“I missed being with the guys,” McCallum said. “I missed being on the football field. I missed playing the games.

“This has revitalized me. I’m more enthusiastic than ever.”

McCallum, 28 and a four-year veteran, returned five kickoffs last season but has not returned a punt since 1986, his rookie season.

He was cut before the start of this season. But poor performances by the special teams, coupled with a hamstring injury to Brown, caused the Raiders to bring McCallum back.

Brown suffered his hamstring injury in the first half of last Sunday’s loss to the Cleveland Browns and did not return.

And what are his chances of seeing action this week?

“I wouldn’t expect him to play,” Shell said. “I wouldn’t want to push him, because if he opens it (the injury) up, we’re back to square one.”

On Eric Metcalf’s 69-yard touchdown play last Sunday for the Browns, Raider defensive lineman Bob Golic said he had the best shot at stopping the speedy back.

“I figure if I had kept going, I would have caught him by Santa Monica . . . if he stopped for something to drink,” the 6-foot-3, 280-pound Golic said.