Raiders Star Ashton Jeanty Carted Off in Silence, Season Plans Thrown Into Doubt

Ashton Jeanty was helped off the practice field at the Raiders' Henderson facility Sunday after suffering an apparent right leg injury, unable to put any weight on it as teammates stood by in stunned silence and some took a knee in prayer. The Las Vegas Raiders running back, viewed as the centerpiece of a rebuilt offense, went down during a team drill and did not return.

According to The Sporting Tribune, the injury happened at the team's Intermountain Health Performance Center when Jeanty collided with defensive back Darien Porter while diving for a pass during a drill and landed awkwardly on his right leg. The Raiders did not provide an immediate update on Jeanty's condition or the nature of the injury, and the team is waiting on additional testing before determining next steps, according to the New York Post. That leaves the exact diagnosis and any timetable for Jeanty's return as an open question for a Las Vegas team already bracing for the prospect of losing him for significant time.

A Rookie Season That Made Him Indispensable

The injury is a gut punch for a franchise that built its entire offensive identity around Jeanty entering his second season. As a rookie in 2025, Jeanty started all 17 regular-season games and produced 1,321 total yards from scrimmage — 975 rushing yards on 266 carries plus 346 receiving yards on 55 receptions — with 10 total touchdowns, according to NFL.com. He posted those numbers despite playing behind an offensive line that struggled to protect him, a weakness Las Vegas spent the offseason trying to fix.

Jeanty arrived in Las Vegas as the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Boise State, the highest-drafted running back in the league since Saquon Barkley in 2018, signing a four-year, $35.8 million rookie contract that includes $22.7 million fully guaranteed and a fifth-year option for 2028, per NFLTradeRumors.co. He came into the league off a historic final college season, finishing as Heisman Trophy runner-up behind Colorado's Travis Hunter after leading the nation with 2,601 rushing yards and 29 rushing touchdowns and sweeping the Maxwell and Doak Walker Awards, according to Boise State University Athletics.

Days Earlier, a Different Kind of Preview

Just days before the injury, Jeanty had been running well against outside competition, taking part in a joint practice with the Houston Texans on August 18 at the Houston Methodist Training Center, where he ran for yards in team drills, per the same Post report. That workout came amid a broader offensive overhaul under new head coach Klint Kubiak and offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko, who installed a new system designed to make Jeanty a focal point of both the run and pass game, as NFL.com reports.

The Raiders also overhauled their quarterback room for 2026, selecting Indiana's Fernando Mendoza — fresh off leading the Hoosiers to a national championship — with the No. 1 overall pick, while also signing veteran Kirk Cousins to compete for the Week 1 starting job, according to Bolavip. To support a rushing attack that saw Jeanty hit at or behind the line of scrimmage on over half his 2025 carries, Las Vegas also retooled its interior offensive line, adding Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum alongside guard Jackson Powers-Johnson, per Yardbarker.

Who Steps In If Jeanty Is Out

If Jeanty is forced to miss real time, the Raiders' most likely next man up is fourth-round rookie Mike Washington Jr., a 6-foot-1, 223-pound back out of Arkansas who ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash and posted a 9.88 Relative Athletic Score at the NFL Scouting Combine, according to Athlon Sports. Washington has already flashed in limited preseason work, rushing for 56 yards on nine carries — 6.2 yards per attempt — and adding 18 receiving yards in the Raiders' August 20 preseason game against the Houston Texans, building on a senior season at Arkansas in which he rushed for 1,070 yards and eight touchdowns after stops at Buffalo and New Mexico State.

Beyond Washington, the Raiders' depth chart lists 2024 draft pick Dylan Laube, Roman Hemby, and veteran Dare Ogunbowale behind the top two backs, alongside fullback Connor Heyward, per Sports Illustrated. Laube and Ogunbowale in particular bring passing-down experience that could matter if Jeanty is sidelined while a new quarterback room adjusts to NFL defenses. The Raiders are set to open the season against the Dolphins, according to the Post's report.

Las Vegas has already weathered a run of injuries to key skill players heading into this season, including a Maxx Crosby knee surgery recovery and the season-ending injury that landed tight end Brock Bowers on injured reserve in December. For now, the franchise is left waiting on test results before it knows just how big a hole Jeanty's injury leaves in a rebuilt offense that was built around him.