The news that defensive end Malcolm Koonce had injured his knee during practice was not good news for the Las Vegas Raiders. He will miss further time after he was ruled out for Week 1.
On September 7, the Raiders declared that Koonce will be placed on injured reserve.
Koonce will thus be out for a minimum of four weeks, if not longer. The Raiders would not have continued to play week to week if the ailment were not minor. This is a significant loss for the squad because he was expected to be one of the starting defensive ends.
On September 7, ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez stated that sources said the injury would be fatal to the season. Koonce is quite disappointed because he was about to start a contract year. With 8.0 sacks, he had the finest season of his career in 2023. He was expected to be a player to watch this season and, should he repeat his previous season’s performance, was probably going to be looking at a sizable salary in the offseason.
The Raiders may try to sign Koonce for a one-year contract the following season if he is unable to participate in order to give him an opportunity to prove his worth. It’s time for some other guys to stand up since Koonce and the Raiders are in a difficult situation overall.
Charles Snowden is added to the active roster by the Las Vegas Raiders
Several defensive ends performed well for the Raiders throughout the preseason, so they had an obvious choice to replace Koonce on the practice squad. Charles Snowden was added to the active roster by the team.
Although he didn’t play in any regular season games last season, Snowden did spend some time with the Raiders. He joined the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2021, and that is when he first entered the NFL. Only two NFL games hath he been able to play on the field. To provide some depth, he did get a sack for the Raiders during the preseason.
Snaps of Snowden should be rare, especially during Week 1. Sam Webb, a cornerback, was also promoted by the Raiders to the active list for Week 1.
Janarius Robinson May Play a Significant Part
Tyree Wilson, a 2023 first-round pick, is widely expected to replace Koonce, but it’s possible the Raiders would rather have another player play most of the snaps. Over the entire offseason, Janarius Robinson has impressed the team. The former Minnesota Vikings fourth-round selection spent the majority of the last year on the Raiders practice squad, but he impressed enough in training camp to be added to the active roster.
Though unhappy to watch Koonce suffer harm, he is prepared to take charge.
According to Gutierrez, Robinson remarked, “It’s always tough to see a brother, a teammate of yours, go down.” But just in case something happens, we all get ready every day, practice, and attend meetings to be ready for that job. Unfortunately, this is what transpired, therefore we must assume Malcolm’s shoes, step into his shoes, and give it our all for him.
Robinson, who is only 25 years old, did record a sack for the Raiders last season. If Wilson is still not ready to be a major player, he might still have some potential and be a good backup for Koonce.
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