Ashton Jeanty
Ashton Jeanty
Ashton Jeanty suffered an ankle injury in practice, and the Las Vegas Raiders star running back had to leave the field before the session was over. A first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Boise State product entered the league as one of the best prospects in recent memory. While he failed to live up to that hype, he still finished his rookie season with a respectable 975 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 266 attempts despite playing in a truly atrocious environment. Now with a new head coach and quarterback, 2026 was supposed to be a breakout season for the top-10 selection.
Unfortunately, this ankle injury could be a significant setback, and head coach Klint Kubiak is not being very specific regarding the status of his long-term running back.
“I’m not going to go into the injuries,” Kubiak said. “He’s on the mend. Ashton Jeanty got hurt in practice and the whole team took a knee. I think that says a lot about him being on the mend and us counting on him. So, really excited to get him back.”
Ashton Jeanty
| Source: Lastwordonsports.com - David Latham, Managing Editor
Raiders News: Klint Kubiak Doesn’t Tell Much About Ashton Jeanty
This tells us that Ashton Jeanty did not suffer a season-ending injury, but we still don’t have a good timeline for the star running back’s recovery. For what it’s worth, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said that this injury is “an ankle sprain believed to be more low than high.” This is strange wording, but a high-ankle sprain is usually a 6-8 week recovery. If this isn’t as severe as that, then perhaps Jeanty can return to the field in about a month.
If the running back has to miss time, Mike Washington, Dylan Laube, and Roman Hemby will be the top names on the depth chart. Washington, a fourth-round pick out of Arkansas, likely has the inside track to the starting job if Jeanty misses time, but he has yet to play an NFL snap and wasn’t anything special as a prospect. Dylan Laube, meanwhile, hasn’t done much of anything in his short career, as he’s recorded just nine rushing yards on eight carries since entering the league. Indiana’s Roman Hemby, meanwhile, is an undrafted free agent who may not make the roster if Jeanty is healthy.
Ideally, this is nothing more than a scare and Ashton Jeanty will be fine. However, given the lack of options on the depth chart, the Raiders could make a trade if the star running back has to miss considerable time with this ailment.
Main Photo: Kirby Lee – Imagn Images