Las Vegas Raiders fans collectively held their breath on Sunday afternoon when reports surfaced that star running back Ashton Jeanty left practice with an injury and was carried off by trainers because he couldn't put pressure on his leg. The team reportedly gathered and said a prayer for him.
As dramatic as that scene sounds, though, the team seemingly avoided the worst-case scenario, as Jeanty has a mere ankle sprain that is not considered a long-term deal. The extent and severity still weren't known for a while, but Raider Nation let out a huge sigh on Sunday night after hours of panic.
The Raiders did not release a statement about the injury, and defensive coordinator Rob Leonard had no comment on the matter. Head coach Klint Kubiak did not speak with the media until Tuesday, and of course, Jeanty's prognosis was the first thing that he was asked when he stepped on the podium.
"I'm not gonna get into the injuries. He's on the mend," Kubiak said.
Thanks for the clarification. Not.
People tend to love sharing good news, so the instinct may be to think that a non-answer is bad. This doesn't mean anything, though. Las Vegas fans can't get too worked up about a lack of an update on this front, as Klint just put a classic Kubiakism on display for Raider Nation.
Raiders' Klint Kubiak said nothing about RB Ashton Jeanty's injury
When Klint's father, Gary, was the head coach of the Denver Broncos and Houston Texans, he was notorious for being vague and non-committal about injuries. He'd say things like "Yeah, he has a leg," or "Yeah, he's got an ankle," to describe the ailments of his players. Effectively, he said nothing.
Klint isn't even going that far, though. He wouldn't get into what kind of injury Jeanty sustained, even though earlier this month, he specified the nature of Brennan Jackson's injury in a post-game presser. Guess what Klint Kubiak said then? "B-Jack had a foot." Classic.
Later in the press conference, Kubiak talked a bit more about what happened on Sunday. But he didn't provide any more clarity about the nature or severity of Jeanty's injury, how long he'll be out or any other key details.
"Ashton 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. And I'm a huge believer in the power of prayer."
If Jeanty was out for the season, fans would know, as reports would be piling in. If he was perfectly fine, then Jeanty would have been back out at practice on Monday or Tuesday, which he wasn't. The truth lies somewhere in the middle, and there is unfortunately nothing to read into these comments.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reiterated earlier on Tuesday that, despite the tension in the building after he went down, Jeanty's ankle injury isn't a season-ending thing, and that it is more of a low-ankle injury than a high-ankle injury. That's great, because the latter tends to sideline players longer.
Of course, this is still a legitimate ailment that Jeanty and the team need to take care of, and he is in jeopardy of missing some time to begin the 2026 NFL season. But when faced with missing the entire year, Raider Nation would gladly trade that in for just a few weeks of Jeanty being on the shelf.
It'll be a painful waiting period here, but some clarity should come on Sunday, August 30, which is roster cutdown day. What the Raiders do at the running back position will say a lot about Jeanty's timeline. Just don't expect Kubiak or anyone else in the building to give us this information.
We'll have to piece it together ourselves.
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