The Las Vegas Raiders were turning over a new leaf this season. Bringing in Klint Kubiak as the new head coach, drafting Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick, and signing Kirk Cousins in free agency had changed the entire outlook of the franchise.
But the offseason hasn’t been completely seamless. Just before the regular season, one of their most promising young players, Ashton Jeanty, seems to have suffered an injury in practice. Unfortunately, based on the reports, some analysts fear the worst.
Ashton Jeanty Might Have Career-Altering Injury
One of the most hyped running back prospects in recent memory, Jeanty felt like a slam dunk as a first-round pick. But for a disastrous Raiders team last season, he didn’t hit the ground running quite as well as initially hoped.
This year, though, expectations were high for him to take that next leap. Through two preseason games, Kubiak had refrained from giving Jeanty a ton of burn. Instead, he’d been limited to just three carries against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1 of the preseason.
Unfortunately, a development from training camp has cast a shadow over the entire Raiders organization. Sam Warren of The Athletic described how the injury to the second-year running back went down.
“Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty left practice early today with an apparent injury,” Warren wrote. “He dove for a ball that was beyond him during team period and went down awkwardly. He was helped off the field by trainers, unable to put weight on his right leg, and he did not return.”
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After the blow, the entire team and coaches took a moment together to reflect on the devastating turn. But the description by Warren has left a lot of analysts to make their own assumptions about the nature of the injury.
Unfortunately for the Las Vegas fan base, the signs are dangerous. PFN’s Senior Director of Operations, Oliver Hodgkinson, was stunned, writing, “This is devastating for Boise State legend Ashton Jeanty.”
It was his run for the Broncos that made him the sixth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and a Heisman finalist. His legendary 2024 campaign saw him tally an absurd 2,601 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns on the ground, single-handedly carrying the weight of the offense.
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The official PFN account, too, provided a recap of what his rookie season had looked like. “Ashton Jeanty ended his rookie season with a 66.1 PFN RB Impact score that ranked 55th out of 56 eligible backs. Runs like this, however, gave hope for a breakout season in 2026. Devastating injury blow for the talented young rusher.”
Ashton Jeanty ended his rookie season with a 66.1 PFN RB Impact score that ranked 55th out of 56 eligible backs.
Runs like this, however, gave hope for a breakout season in 2026.
Devastating injury blow for the talented young rusher. pic.twitter.com/BuwGql0cPd
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) August 23, 2026
Their deputy editor, Alex Kennedy, was also saddened by news of the injury, writing, “Absolutely brutal. Injuries are the worst.”
PFN Director of Media Partnerships, Jacob Infante, was incensed at the timing of the injury, given how Jeanty felt poised for a breakout year. He wrote, “Would be awful to see Ashton Jeanty go down with a serious injury, especially given the bad luck he had as a rookie. We’ll see how serious it is, but I would’ve loved to see Jeanty this year after that the Raiders actually invested in their OL.”
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Fantasy analyst Kyle Soppe broke down why the injury could be doubly bad for the Raiders. Aside from losing a potential superstar on the offense, he believed there could be a ton of trickle-down effects for the team as well. He wrote, “Time will tell here, but if this is serious, everything is impacted.”
First, he turned his attention to Brock Bowers, their star tight end and said, “Bowers’ target volume doesn’t have upward mobility, so we are looking at more coverage and even less team TD equity.”
Then, he focused on their new rookie quarterback and how he could be impacted without a premium running threat in the backfield with him. “I’m not spending at TE. Mendoza’s development … sketchy at best. Hope this isn’t serious!”
Time will tell here, but if this is serious, everything is impacted.
Bowers’ target volume doesn’t have upward mobility, so we are looking at more coverage and even less team TD equity
I’m not spending at TE
Mendoza’s development … sketchy at best
Hope this isn’t serious! https://t.co/DtIxeZUlEH
— Kyle Soppe (@KyleSoppePFN) August 23, 2026
Fantasy analyst Jason Katz explained, “This sure sounds like a torn ACL (or something similar). Cannot hate this any more.”
However, he also believed that the team had a backup available as he added, “Mike Washington [is] probably a fourth-round pick in the Travis Etienne/Cam Skattebo range. Wouldn’t be surprised if he went earlier with the preseason he’s had. Raiders should put him on ice.”
This sure sounds like a torn ACL (or something similar). Cannot hate this any more. Mike Washington probably a fourth round pick in the Travis Etienne/Cam Skattebo range. Wouldn’t be surprised if he went earlier with the preseason he’s had. Raiders should put him on ice. https://t.co/b0v0q1RuuN
— Katz (@jasonkatz13) August 23, 2026
After 6 carries and 63 yards in his preseason debut, Washington followed it up with another strong 9 carries and 56 yards outing against the Houston Texans. As a result, all hope isn’t lost for the Raiders, but the hope is that Jeanty survived the worst of it.
Ian Cummings explained as such, as he wrote, “This sucks. Hopefully, the initial fears aren’t validated when we get updates. Ashton Jeanty was primed to produce big-time behind a reworked offensive line in a more cohesive scheme. Mike Washington Jr. may need to acclimate quickly in his stead.”
It remains to be seen what the exact injury report turns out to be. But after a ton of optimism and promise heading into the 2026 NFL season, injuries are starting to take a toll on the Raiders and could derail their year in a significant way.
