Practice fell silent after awkward landing

For several minutes, the Las Vegas Raiders had every reason to fear the worst.

Jeanty went down late in Sunday’s practice during an 11-on-11 period while diving for a pass from quarterback Kirk Cousins. According to CBS Sports’ report from Raiders practice, the second-year running back landed awkwardly and immediately remained on the ground while teammates stopped and watched.

Medical staff attended to Jeanty before helping him from the field. He was unable to put weight on his right leg, and the entire Raiders team eventually went down on one knee as he was taken away.

The immediate images naturally created fears of a significant knee or lower-leg injury. Las Vegas did not provide a medical diagnosis directly after practice, and head coach Klint Kubiak is not scheduled to speak to reporters until Tuesday. The lack of an immediate update made the initial concern even greater.

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Hours later, however, the first encouraging information emerged.

Early reports point to an ankle sprain

Sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport that Jeanty is believed to have suffered a sprained ankle. The Raiders still do not know exactly how long he will be unavailable, but the injury is reportedly not considered a long-term one.

That is a considerable improvement on what many initially feared when Jeanty was unable to stand on the leg.

There is still an important unknown. Reports have not established whether the injury is a high ankle sprain or a less severe form of ankle sprain, and that distinction could substantially affect his recovery period. Until further testing is completed, any precise return date would be speculation.

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The Raiders themselves had not issued a detailed medical update by Monday morning. Their official injury-report page has also not yet moved into the regular-season reporting cycle.

For now, the most accurate description is therefore relatively narrow: Jeanty has reportedly avoided a major long-term injury, but his availability for the beginning of the regular season remains uncertain.

Jeanty had become central to the Raiders’ offence

That uncertainty matters because Jeanty is no ordinary second-year player.

Las Vegas selected him sixth overall in the 2025 NFL Draft after his extraordinary college career at Boise State, with the expectation that he could become the focal point of the Raiders’ running game.

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His rookie season provided plenty of evidence. According to NFL.com’s injury report on Jeanty, he produced 1,321 yards from scrimmage in 2025, including 975 rushing yards, and scored 10 total touchdowns. Five came on the ground and five as a receiver.

Those receiving numbers have become particularly relevant during this year’s training camp. Jeanty has been working on expanding his role in the passing game, including running more advanced routes rather than relying primarily on screens and swing passes. He caught 55 passes for 346 yards as a rookie, already placing him among the more productive receiving backs in the league.

That also explains how Sunday’s injury happened. The Raiders were not simply handing him the ball between the tackles. Jeanty was being used as a receiving option during team drills when he attempted the diving catch from Cousins.

Raiders had already been protecting him

Las Vegas had actually spent much of August trying to limit unnecessary risk with its starters.

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Jeanty played only briefly in the preseason opener against Arizona, rushing three times for 16 yards. He then sat out the Raiders’ victory over Houston, along with most of the team’s established starters. According to the Associated Press, that conservative approach was specifically designed to preserve key players ahead of the regular season.

The irony is that his injury instead occurred during a normal training-camp practice.

Las Vegas now has little reason to expose him to preseason action again, even if subsequent scans confirm a relatively minor sprain. The Raiders finish their preseason schedule against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday, a game that suddenly becomes far more relevant for the running backs behind Jeanty.

Mike Washington Jr. suddenly becomes important

The biggest beneficiary of any Jeanty absence would likely be rookie Mike Washington Jr.

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Las Vegas selected Washington in the fourth round out of Arkansas, and he has already impressed during his first NFL preseason. The AP reports that Washington has rushed 15 times for 119 yards through two preseason games and has also received occasional repetitions with the first-team offence.

NFL.com likewise identifies Washington as the most likely player to move to the top of the depth chart if Jeanty misses meaningful time. The Raiders also have Dylan Laube, Roman Hemby and veteran Dare Ogunbowale available, but Washington’s preseason has positioned him as the obvious first option.

The situation therefore creates two immediate decisions for Las Vegas.

First, the medical staff need to establish the exact grade and location of Jeanty’s ankle sprain. Second, Kubiak must determine how many first-team repetitions Washington should receive while the starter recovers.

The Raiders are still roughly three weeks from the opening Sunday of the regular season. Whether Jeanty can be ready for Week 1 will depend on the results of those examinations, not the reassuring initial label of “sprained ankle”.

Until that timetable is established, Washington becomes the running back Las Vegas must prepare to start.