Ashton Jeanty Exits Raiders Practice with Right Leg Injury, Unable to Put Weight on Leg

On Sunday, August 23, 2026, Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty suffered an apparent right leg injury during a training camp practice at the team’s Henderson, Nevada, facility and was helped off the field unable to put weight on the leg. The second-year standout went down during a team period after diving for a low pass from quarterback Kirk Cousins near cornerback Darien Porter, and the Raiders provided no official diagnosis or timetable before practice ended.

Editor’s note: This article draws on reporting from ESPN, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Bleacher Report, and Silver And Black Pride, August 23, 2026.

Injury at a glance

Detail	Information
Date	Sunday, August 23, 2026
Location	Raiders practice facility, Henderson, Nev. (indoor padded session)
Player	Ashton Jeanty (RB, second year)
Injury	Apparent right leg injury; some reports described it as a knee issue
How it happened	Diving for an underthrown pass from Kirk Cousins during team drills
Immediate status	Could not bear weight on right leg; helped off by trainers
Team statement	No official update provided Sunday

How the injury occurred

Jeanty was participating in a team period inside the Raiders’ indoor practice building during a padded session Sunday afternoon. He ran a route into the flat, turned to field an underthrown pass from Cousins, and dove to make the catch in the vicinity of cornerback Darien Porter.

Jeanty landed awkwardly on the turf and remained on the ground in visible pain. Athletic trainers attended to him before helping him off the sideline. Multiple reporters on site, including ESPN’s Ryan McFadden, said Jeanty could not put pressure on his right leg as he left the field.

After Jeanty exited, Raiders players and coaches knelt in silence on the practice field — a moment teammates described as a prayer for their running back. Practice resumed shortly afterward. A team spokesperson told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the organization would not issue a statement Sunday.

Jeanty’s role entering Year 2

Jeanty was selected with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft after a historic college career at Boise State. He started all 17 games as a rookie, rushing for 975 yards and five touchdowns on 266 carries (3.7 yards per carry) while adding 55 receptions for 346 yards and five more scores.

First-year head coach Klint Kubiak installed an outside-zone, run-heavy offense that centered Jeanty as a featured runner and pass catcher. Kubiak had said he wanted Jeanty to be a “bell-cow” back, and reporters covering camp noted multiple explosive runs down the sideline during the summer.

Jeanty played in the preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals on August 11, rushing for 16 yards on three carries. He and most projected starters sat out the Raiders’ Week 2 exhibition win over the Houston Texans on Thursday, August 20, as Kubiak preserved key players before roster cuts accelerate.

Who steps in if Jeanty misses time

Rookie running back Mike Washington Jr., a fourth-round pick from Arkansas, took the remainder of Jeanty’s first-team reps after the injury. Washington and Jeanty had been alternating starting snaps through much of camp, and the Raiders had planned to deploy both as a 1-2 punch in Kubiak’s scheme.

Washington stands 6-foot-2 and 228 pounds and ran for 1,070 yards and eight touchdowns as a fifth-year senior at Arkansas (6.4 yards per carry). In two preseason games, he has 15 carries for 119 yards plus two receptions for 18 yards, blending power and speed that drew praise from beat reporters.

Behind Washington, the Raiders’ running back depth includes Dylan Laube, undrafted rookie Roman Hemby, and veteran Dare Ogunbowale.

Timeline and what comes next

Sunday’s injury landed exactly three weeks before the Raiders’ 2026 regular-season opener against the Miami Dolphins on September 13. Las Vegas has one preseason game remaining — against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday, August 27.

Until the Raiders release imaging results or a formal injury designation, Jeanty’s availability for the opener and beyond remains uncertain. The scene alone — a star running back unable to walk off under his own power — was serious enough to halt practice and draw national coverage within hours.

The Raiders had been relatively healthy through camp and the preseason before Sunday. Guard Jackson Powers-Johnson returned to practice after a minor injury earlier in the week, rotating with Caleb Rogers as planned. Wide receiver Dont’e Thornton and tight end Carter Runyon remained sidelined, but Jeanty’s leg injury represents the most significant concern to date for a team rebuilding its offense around a young franchise running back.

Cousins took all first-team quarterback reps Sunday while rookie Fernando Mendoza handled the second team — another signal that Las Vegas is leaning toward Cousins as the Week 1 starter behind a reshaped offensive line.

Other practice notes from Sunday

Beyond the Jeanty injury, the padded indoor session offered a few roster clues:

• Kirk Cousins ran the entire first-team offense; Fernando Mendoza took all second-team reps.
• Jackson Powers-Johnson returned at guard after missing time with a Monday practice injury.
• Safety Treydan Stukes received extensive first-team defensive reps.
• Dont’e Thornton remained out; Kubiak had previously indicated the wide receiver would play in the preseason, but with the 49ers game four days away, his window is narrowing.

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Discussion

Sunday afternoon in Henderson turned from a routine padded practice into the kind of injury scare every NFL team dreads three weeks before opening day.

1. Mike Washington Jr. has 119 rushing yards in two preseason games and took over first-team reps immediately after Jeanty left. If Jeanty misses significant time, is Washington already proven enough to carry a run-heavy Kubiak offense — or does Las Vegas need to look outside the roster for help?

Washington’s camp and exhibition tape have been strong, but replacing a 1,000-yard rookie with a Day 3 pick is a different scale of ask.

2. With no diagnosis announced Sunday and the season opener set for September 13 against Miami, how should the Raiders plan their final preseason game and roster cuts while Jeanty’s status remains unknown?

Resting key players in the 49ers exhibition may make more sense if Jeanty’s timeline is unclear — but that leaves less live evaluation time for backups who might need to step up.

Share how you think Sunday changes the Raiders’ offensive outlook heading into the regular season.

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This article is news reporting, not medical advice. Injury diagnoses and recovery timelines should come from the team and qualified medical professionals.