Well, that was stressful.
Reports broke from the Las Vegas Raiders' training camp practice on Sunday that star running back Ashton Jeanty went down with an injury, and that it didn't look good. Both the team and the fanbase were holding out hope that it wasn't season-ending, even though all signs pointed toward it being so.
But the signs were apparently wrong. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported late on Sunday evening that Jeanty avoided a worst-case scenario and that he only suffered an ankle sprain, not a knee injury, as was originally reported. And the best news is that this is not considered long-term.
While it is still unknown just how severe Jeanty's ankle sprain is and how long exactly he'll be out, everyone who cares about the Silver and Black still collectively took a deep breath when this report came out. He's not out of the woods yet, but Jeanty isn't hurt as badly as we originally thought.
Raiders' Ashton Jeanty suffers ankle sprain, not a long-term injury
Obviously, it's not great for the Raiders' star running back to be in bubble wrap just weeks before the 2026 NFL season opener, but it certainly beats the alternative. Typically, when a player has to be carried off and can't put pressure on their leg, that signifies a significant, long-term ailment.
However, according to Schefter's reporting, Jeanty avoided that.
With the emergence of rookie Mike Washington Jr., fans were at least hopeful that the Raiders' run game could stay afloat with Jeanty sidelined. And Klint Kubiak and Co. will still have to lean heavily on the young back in the early going, but it's not all on his shoulders, as it seemed to be at first.
Because of Washington's strong play, and really, that of the entire running back room this preseason, the Raiders have zero reason to rush Jeanty back. If we're being brutally honest, Las Vegas isn't really in a contending window, so there's no need to risk their big investment, especially early in the year.
Don't get me wrong, the sooner Jeanty gets back to being healthy, the better it is for the offense. Washington Jr. has looked promising, and the other backs may be capable of playing a role, but very few players in the world can do what Jeanty can on a football field. That's just the truth.
So, again, it's not preferable that Jeanty is missing key reps and preparation for the season, but we're looking at a timeline of a few weeks or maybe over a month instead of hoping he is ready to go again at this time next year. It's hard to be mad about that update, given the circumstances.
Let's just hope more good ones come to follow.
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