The Las Vegas Raiders have been trudging through training camp over the last week or so. While most of the reports had been positive and indicated a good balance of success between the offense and defense, most importantly, the team had avoided any major injuries.
Unfortunately, injuries are a part of football, and they are bound to happen at any given moment. Losing a player in the preseason, however, stings a bit worse because men are battling for their livelihoods, and fans are just starting to get excited about certain players.
During Saturday's practice, which was a mock game at Allegiant Stadium for the Silver and Black, recent free agent addition Lonnie Johnson Jr. went down with an injury. He has been a versatile piece in the secondary this offseason and garnered plenty of praise for his efforts in camp.
Pete Carroll says Lonnie Johnson Jr. suffered "significant" injury
Johnson reportedly got rolled up on by Maxx Crosby, according to Nick Walters. The Las Vegas Review-Journal's Vincent Bonsignore noted that the team brought out the cart for him, but Raider Nation was hoping that this was a precautionary measure.
Head coach Pete Caroll told reporters in the postgame scrum, however, that Johnson's injury was "significant." This is a devastating blow, both for Johnson and for a Raiders defense that was counting on the emerging player to contribute in 2025.
Nothing has been officially announced about what kind of injury he sustained or what his potential timetable for a return is, but it seems like a season-ending lower-leg injury could be a possibility for Johnson.
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He was playing high safety today when the team went into nickel packages, and Jeremy Chinn slid into the slot. However, Johnson has also rotated in at the slot corner position this offseason, which has been an area of concern for Raider Nation.
If Johnson misses significant time, the team may be scrambling for answers once again in nickel packages. If Chinn remains the answer in the slot, then they'll need to find a suitable replacement at safety.
However, if Chinn moves back to playing high safety, then it puts pressure on players like Greedy Vance Jr. or Darnay Holmes to perform in the slot. Fortunately, Carroll has put a premium on players playing multiple positions this offseason, which gives the team a lot of hands to play.
Johnson was just hitting his stride for Las Vegas' secondary, so this injury could not have come at a worse time. There is still a chance that he avoided a major injury, and that is precisely what Raider Nation will be hoping for as they await more news.