LAS VEGAS — An ominous silence fell over Raiders follow Sunday after working back Ashton Jeanty went down with an obvious leg damage.
Jeanty was unable to put any weight on the injured leg as he was helped from the subject, while teammates stood close by in shocked silence.
Ashton Jeanty of the Las Vegas Raiders rushes for yards during a joint follow with the Houston Texans at the Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Texas, on Aug. 18, 2026. (Getty Images) Getty Images
The Raiders did not present an fast replace on Jeanty’s situation or the nature of the damage. But the scene — and the response from these around him, which included the complete workforce taking a knee in prayer — made it clear this was not being handled like an unusual training-camp setback.
Jeanty is expected to be one of the centerpieces of the Raiders’ offense this season and a foundational piece of their rebuilding roster. Losing him for any vital time would be a devastating blow with the season opener against the Dolphins less than three weeks away.
The Raiders added some insurance coverage to their backfield when they chosen Arkansas working back Mike Washington Jr. in the fourth spherical of this 12 months’s draft. Washington has been one of the nice surprises of coaching camp and the preseason, displaying an spectacular mixture of measurement, velocity and explosiveness.
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Washington isn’t Jeanty, and it would be unfair to expect the rookie to merely change one of the NFL’s most gifted working backs. But his emergence gives the Raiders a promising choice should Jeanty be pressured to miss time.
Las Vegas Raiders working back Ashton Jeanty runs the ball during an NFL coaching camp follow at Houston Methodist Training Center in Houston, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (Houston Chronicle via Getty Images) Houston Chronicle via Getty Images
For now, the Raiders can only wait for extra testing and hope the damage appeared worse than it really was.
The potential loss is particularly concerning given what the Raiders expected Jeanty to become in his second season.
Las Vegas chosen the former Boise State star with the sixth total choose in the 2025 NFL Draft after one of the most productive seasons by a working back in school soccer historical past. Jeanty rushed for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2024, completed second in the Heisman Trophy voting and ended his Boise State profession as the college’s all-time main rusher with 4,769 yards. His 2024 speeding whole was second only to Barry Sanders’ 2,628 yards in 1988 in major-college historical past.
Jeanty confirmed flashes of that potential during his rookie season, speeding for 975 yards and 5 touchdowns while including 55 receptions for 346 yards and 5 more scores. But his 3.7 yards per carry also mirrored the difficulties of taking part in behind an offensive line that struggled to persistently create room for him.
The Raiders entered this season believing these circumstances had modified. With an upgraded offensive line and Klint Kubiak putting in a run-oriented system designed to create motion, favorable angles and cutback alternatives, there was appreciable hope Jeanty would take a vital second-year leap. The expectation was that higher blocking and a system more suited to his imaginative and prescient, steadiness and explosiveness would unleash the model of Jeanty who dominated at Boise State.
That is what made the scene at Sunday’s follow – Jeanty unable to put weight on his leg as the relaxation of the workforce fell momentarily silent – really feel particularly ominous.