Las Vegas Raiders edge defender Kwity Paye missed Thursday’s practice ahead of the Week 3 matchup against the New Orleans Saints, according to ESPN’s Ryan McFadden.
Paye was not listed on Wednesday’s injury report. At the time of writing, it’s unclear why he was absent from Thursday’s session. Silver and Black Pride will provide an update when the official injury report is announced.
Paye, who was signed in free agency after spending his first five NFL seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, has played in both games (one start) the Raiders have played so far in 2026. He has eight tackles, two sacks and five total quarterback hits in those contests. If he can’t play in New Orleans, Malcolm Koonce will likely see an increased role on the edge, while Patrick Johnson gets more snaps as the backup behind Koonce.
However, defensive coordinator Rob Leonard has leaned heavily on a third-down personnel grouping where Paye and Koonce are on the field together, with the former sliding inside to serve as an interior pass-rusher. Who would take on that responsibility is unclear, but defensive tackles Adam Butler, Jonah Laulu and Thomas Booker IV seem like the top candidates for the role.
McFadden also noted that quarterback Aidan O’Connell (personal) wasn’t seen at practice. O’Connell had to step away from the team last week and missed the game against the Chargers. Additionally, safety Treydan Stukes is still in concussion protocol after exiting last week’s contest early.
