Any excitement about the Las Vegas Raiders' initial 53-man roster reveal was dimmed quite a bit with the news that third-round rookie defensive end Keyron Crawford was out for the season. Fans saw him leave the preseason finale gingerly, but the hope was that he avoided disaster. He did not.
The Auburn product suffered an Achilles injury, which is just about the worst-case scenario when a player hurts their lower leg. What makes it even more agonizing for the young player is that he was just starting to put it together and was on the cusp of carving out a role for himself in Las Vegas.
While there is no positive side to big injuries like this in the NFL, the only ray of hope is another player making the most of a suddenly bigger opportunity. For the Raiders, the door has now swung open for promising UDFA defensive end Cian Slone, and he must bust through it during the 2026 NFL season.
Keyron Crawford's injury devstated Raiders fans and leadership in equal measure
Crawford's being selected No. 67 overall in this past April's draft was always a bet on upside. He didn't start playing football until his senior year of high school, and while he developed quite a bit in college, every rep during his rookie season mattered a great deal for his evolution as a young player.
Because he had a steep learning curve, Crawford got ample run during the three-game exhibition slate in August. In that time, both the fanbase and the organization saw a constantly improving player with a high ceiling down the road, but also a rookie who may have had a role right away.
"It certainly hurt, and we were counting on Key," John Spytek said of Crawford's injury.
"He's come a long way," Klint Kubiak told reporters about Crawford. "He's an extremely hard worker, a guy that has a bright future ahead of him. ... I'm excited about getting him healthy for next season."
It doesn't sound like the front office or coaching staff is particularly worried about Crawford making a full recovery, as not only do the Raiders have a tremendous medical staff, but Kubiak, Spytek and everyone in the building know the kind of person and tireless worker that they drafted.
"He'll continue to develop even this year," Kubiak said. "When he's rehabbing, he's going to be dialed into the meetings, and he'll still improve.
"I will say if someone's got to overcome it, [it's Keyron Crawford]," assistant GM Brian Stark said. "He's very tough. He's high motor. He's a hard worker. He's very passionate. Those same things are going to help him be equipped to deal with this and to battle back. And we've got great support here for him with the wellness staff, the training staff, with Alex Guerrero and Chris Cortez. It's very unfortunate, but he'll be back."
That he will.
Door is now open in Las Vegas for Cian Slone after Keyron Crawford's injury
When Slone was waived during roster cutdowns, fans were disappointed, but the hope was that this move signaled good things for Crawford's health. Ultimately, it did not, but there's still plenty of reason to be excited about Slone potentially stepping up, even if he's just on the practice squad.
Not only did the Raiders give him more guaranteed money than any other undrafted free agent in their 2026 class, but Slone largely lived up to his billing. The buzz out of Las Vegas in the early going was that this young player was making noise at practice, and he showed that in the preseason.
Missed tackles were an issue for him during the preseason, but Slone's motor also gets him involved in plays that others wouldn't be near, so that is a double-edged sword. He plays like Maxx Crosby, of course, not at the same level, but with the same relentlessness and some similar movement patterns.
In three exhibition games, Slone had a respectable 10.0% pass-rush win rate, and he notched two pressures and a sack in 30 pass-rush opportunities. What was also promising is that he helped out against the run, as Slone recorded four run stops in the first two games.
By the final contest, Rob Leonard and Co. challenged him a bit more to be the "buck" linebacker and drop into coverage, and Slone took his lumps there. As he attempted to learn on the job, he had his worst showing of the preseason, giving up two catches in eight coverage snaps.
But clearly, the Raiders' front office is testing him and trying to see all that he's capable of. And when Spytek was asked about Crawford's injury, the second-year general manager actually brought up the UDFA from NC State, unprovoked.
"We're grateful to have Patrick Johnson in the room, somebody that's played in this league and proven it, and have Cian [Slone] on the practice squad too as a guy that we're developing and see playing good football for us here coming up."
Nobody wants their rookie third-rounder to suffer a devastating injury. But as Stark said, injuries are a part of life in the NFL, and it suddenly becomes all about the next man up. Slone has a great chance to be just that if he can continue developing. The door is open, and he must burst through it.
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