The Las Vegas Raiders suffered a big blow when they were forced to put rookie, third-round pick, defensive end Keyron Crawford on season-ending injured reserve with a broken ankle.
Crawford was injured in the final preseason game, last Thursday. The Auburn product had a sack shortly before being injured and was hurt on a play while he was in pursuit.
After a slow start to training camp and the preseason, Crawford was showing a good pass-rush burst. He is a naturally talented player. The expectation
was that he was a bit green and may take some time to develop.
Thus, this injury is tough because it pushes back his on-field development. Crawford can still work on the mental part of the game during his rehabilitation, but he is missing valuable time in his playing development.
Usually, ankle injuries don’t linger beyond a season, so he said be ready to resume his career next year. But t’s definitely a tough blow to start the career of Crawford, who turns 23 in October.
The hope was he would be a valuable backup and get some playing time as a pass-rusher. Now, his role will be taken by veteran addition Patrick Johnson, who had a strong preseason. The six-year veteran has played in 70 games with two sacks. He has one career sack.
