NORMAN — Could one of the Sooners' best offensive weapons be available against Tulane?

Brent Venables is hopeful that'll be the case.

The OU coach said wide receiver Nic Anderson has been participating in practice this week, though stopped short of saying he will make his season debut this weekend against the Green Wave.

"He practiced yesterday. Looked good," Venables said during the weekly SEC teleconference. "Hopefully, he’ll continue to progress. Practiced in team setting stuff, so we’re hopeful."

Anderson's potential return would be a huge boost for an OU offense, and a wide receiver group, that really needs it.

The redshirt sophomore has yet to play this season as he deals with nagging injuries. Anderson hasn't been the only absence in the wide receiver room — Jalil Farooq suffered a broken foot against Temple, Jayden Gibson is out for the year, and Andrel Anthony didn't log a snap against Houston. That's four of the Sooners' five top options at wide receivers who essentially haven't played this season.

Without those options, the Sooners' offense struggled against Houston in last Saturday's 16-12 win. OU finished with just 249 yards of offense, with Jackson Arnold completing 19 of 32 passes for 174 yards. With Anderson out, the Sooners were forced to rely on several underclassmen — Deion Burks led the team with nine receptions for 53 yards, but the rest of the receivers combined for just three receptions and 57 yards.

Anderson — who caught 38 passes for 798 yards and 10 touchdowns last season — would give the Sooners size, experience and a downfield threat against a Tulane team that nearly knocked off Kansas State over the weekend.

The Sooners kickoff against Tulane at 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday at Owen Field (ESPN or ESPN2).

The Sooners have utilized in-helmet communication devices through the first two weeks, with Arnold and co-offensive coordinator Seth Littrell able to communicate during games. However, there's been moments where Arnold has appeared to struggle with his headset.

Venables said improving that communication has been a focus this week.

"Nothing's been quote-unquote smooth but at the same time, I think it's been better more than it's not been," Venables said. "We did work on improving the sound of those."