The Las Vegas Raiders survived a major scare over the weekend. Star running back and 2025 first-round pick Ashton Jeanty suffered a scary-looking ankle injury in practice. Jeanty was down on the field for several minutes before being carted off, and reports out of the Raiders’ facility had everyone worried he might be done for the year.
But then on Saturday, ESPN’s Ryan McFadden confirmed it was just an ankle sprain for Jeanty, and Raiders nation took a big sigh of relief. Obviously, any injury in this league is not a good thing, but for a while there, Las Vegas was bracing to lose Jeanty for the season. The fact that he’ll play again at all this season is a bullet dodged.
Appearing on NFL Network’s The Insiders on Tuesday, Ian Rapoport spoke with Mike Garafolo and provided an update on Jeanty’s status.
Ian Rapoport on Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty’s Week 1 Status
GettyLAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 28: Ashton Jeanty #2 of the Las Vegas Raiders rushes for yards during the second quarter of the game against Andru Phillips #22 of the New York Giants at Allegiant Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)
“I feel like the Las Vegas Raiders really had to recover themselves first,” Rapoport said. “There were some intense hours in the Las Vegas Raiders’ building when Ashton Jeanty went down. You hear the description from practice: players kneeling in prayer, thinking it was a major injury, having to be helped off the field. I mean, immediately you hear all that and you think, ‘This is not going to be good, could this be a season-ending thing?'”
“It’s nothing like that,” Rapoport continued. “My understanding — and this is something that I reported with colleague Adam Schefter over the weekend — is that it is an ankle sprain, believed to be more low than high, and not considered to be a major injury. But it is a real injury, Mike, and the reality is there is a chance that Ashton Jeanty may not be on the field for Week 1. They are hopeful that he will be, but there is a chance that he won’t be.”
Ian Rapoport on the Las Veags Raiders’ Backup Plan if Ashton Jeanty Can’t Go
GettyLAS VEGAS, NEVADA – AUGUST 13: Mike Washington Jr. #30 of the Las Vegas Raiders stiff arms Kitan Crawford #36 of the Arizona Cardinals in the second quarter of the preseason game at Allegiant Stadium on August 13, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images)
“[Jeanty’s potential Week 1 absence] certainly does mean a couple things,” said Rapoport. “One, it’s not the season-ending situation that I think some were scared about, and two, they’re going to see a backup running back they have to actually like a lot, and that might not be a bad thing either.”
Rapoport is reference Raiders rookie fourth-round draft pick Mike Washington Jr. out of Arkansas, a premier athlete at the running back position who’s combined a strong camp with major flashes during the preseason. If Jeanty isn’t ready to play by Week 1, the Raiders feel confident in Washington.
Raiders Get Worrying Week 1 Injury Update on Ashton Jeanty via NFL Insider