The Week 5 status for Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty got a whole lot cloudier today. The man wasn’t even spotted at the open portion of practice on Friday, a major red flag after a week of escalating injury concerns. This ain’t good, folks.
From Bad To Worse: Jeanty’s Injury Nightmare
This whole situation with Jeanty has been a slow-motion car crash, honestly. He started the week on the injury report with an ankle issue, something he’s been battling for weeks now. But then Thursday hit, and they added a *foot* issue to the report! He was a limited participant in practice, a clear downgrade from Wednesday, which just screams like he tweaked something during that session. And now, Friday’s practice? He’s a no-show. The Athletic’s Sam Warren reported it straight up: “Raiders last practice before heading to New England. Ashton Jeanty is not out here to start.” The hope, and it’s a slim one, is that he’ll show up later, but right now, things are looking grim. This second-year back is likely headed for a questionable tag at best, meaning the Raiders are in a serious bind.
Who Steps Up? The Raiders’ Scramble At Running Back
So, if Jeanty’s forced to sit, who’s gonna carry the rock? The plan is to hand the reins to Mike Washington Jr. This dude was a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft out of Arkansas, and he definitely turned heads during training camp and the preseason. We haven’t heard much from him since Jeanty’s been hogging all the touches, but when Washington *has* gotten his limited chances, he’s been pretty solid, averaging five yards per carry on his 24 totes and even finding the end zone once.
But here’s the thing: don’t expect Washington to be a three-down workhorse. He’s barely been used in the passing game this season, so the Raiders’ RB3, Dylan Laube, is gonna be the guy gobbling up most of that receiving work. And since Washington and Laube are the only other backs on the active roster besides Jeanty, if Ashton can’t go, the team will have to elevate either Owen Wright or Roman Hemby from the practice squad. They’re gonna need all hands on deck!
We’re all waiting on that final injury report later today. But let’s be real, things aren’t looking good for the second-year back. He’s probably staring down a ‘questionable’ tag at best, and the Raiders are gonna have to adapt. It’s time for Mike Washington and Dylan Laube to prove what they’ve got, because Week 5 is coming whether Jeanty’s ready or not!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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