Raiders Dodge a Bullet as Ashton Jeanty Escapes Practice Scare with Sprained Ankle

The collective blood pressure of the Las Vegas area just spiked and dropped in record time. Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty had to be helped off the practice field today, but the organization is reportedly breathing a massive sigh of relief.

According to Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter, the second-year back is believed to have suffered a sprained ankle. The team is still figuring out exactly how much time he will miss, but the early word is that this is not a long-term disaster.

"Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter reported that the organization is 'breathing a sigh of relief' over the diagnosis."

That is the best possible news for an offense that desperately needs him on the field. Jeanty was the sixth overall pick in the 2025 draft, and while his rookie campaign did not exactly break the space-time continuum, he still ground out 975 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 266 carries.

Losing your bell-cow back in August is the kind of nightmare that ruins fantasy drafts and sends win-total bettors into an early spiral. Head coach Klint Kubiak has been talking all summer about feeding Jeanty a heavy workload, which is standard coach-speak for running a guy until the wheels fall off.

The Raiders are fresh off a 22-20 preseason win over the Houston Texans, and the focus now shifts entirely to getting their star back healthy for games that actually count. A minor ankle sprain is just a speed bump, but it is enough to make you hold your breath every time a player goes down in a meaningless practice drill.

Las Vegas will likely wrap Jeanty in industrial-grade bubble wrap for the rest of the preseason. Expect the backfield rotation to look a lot different over the next couple of weeks while the medical staff makes sure that ankle is fully ready for Week 1.