The Las Vegas Raiders had their biggest injury scare of training camp when running back Ashton Jeanty had to be helped off the field after hurting his leg. At first, there was real concern that he may have suffered something season-ending.
However, reports have suggested that he merely suffered a sprained ankle. It’s difficult to know for sure how serious the injury is, as the Raiders aren’t giving much. Head coach Klint Kubiak had a chance to address the media for the first time since the injury, but he wasn’t willing to divulge too much information.
“I’m not gonna get into injuries. He’s on the mend,” Kubiak told reporters.
Saying he’s “on the mend” could be a good sign. If the Raiders knew Jeanty was going to be out for a long time, there would be no reason to hide it at this point.
“Again, Ashton got hurt in practice, and the whole team took a knee,” Kubiak added later in the press conference. “That says a lot about him being on the mend and counting on him. Really excited about getting him back. I’m a huge believer in the power of prayer.”
There appears to be hope that Jeanty could still play in Week 1, but it’s impossible to know right now. Jeanty hasn’t had a serious injury history throughout his football career. Perhaps he didn’t know how to react to an injury that wasn’t too serious and overreacted. Regardless, nothing is concrete until the Raiders speak.
Best Case Scenario for Raiders?
Losing Jeanty for an extended period of time would be a disaster. Mike Washington Jr. has shown flashes, but he’s a rookie who hasn’t proven anything yet.
There’s still no timeline for Jeanty’s return, but according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Raiders can breathe a sigh of relief.
“It is best case scenario,” Schefter said on the “Pat McAfee Show.” “Now again, as it was described to me, it’s not nothing. It’s definitely something still, and they’ll have to see how much time he’s going to miss. But the initial reports were that he was helped off the field, couldn’t put any pressure on his leg, team gathered up in a huddle. All the things that you don’t want to hear that would seem to indicate that something is severely wrong with his leg in this particular situation …
“In the end, I think the Raiders for a couple of hours were holding their breath when he was going to meet with doctors, and by the time he got done with the examinations, my understanding is it’s a sprained ankle. I don’t know if he’s going to miss any time. I don’t know if they know if he’s going to miss any time. They’re waiting to see that, but it’s certainly not a long-term injury. That we know.”
Should Raiders Add Another RB?
If Jeanty is going to miss any time, the Raiders should strongly consider adding another running back. Washington could be a stud, but behind him, there are a lot of unproven rushers.
The Raiders are going to rely heavily on the running game, so they can’t afford to be weak at the running back position.
Klint Kubiak Has Blunt Message on Ashton Jeanty Injury