A full 17-game season can be grueling for any NFL player and at any position, but it's probably especially so for a running back. As the Las Vegas Raiders' Ashton Jeanty deals with nagging early-season ankle and foot injuries
, the team knows it has to play the long game at starting tailback. If it doesn't, it risks playing the hampered second-year star in a way that also hurts the Raiders' offense.That's why, per ESPN's Dan Graziano, organizational leadership is already discussing finding a random week off for Jeanty very soon. With the Raiders' bye not coming until Week 13 (aka, roughly two months from now), that seems like a bit too long for Jeanty to simply play through his current injuries. The Raiders think he needs time to heal much sooner
than that, or they risk exacerbating what's already wrong with him.
It's not ideal that Jeanty would miss any time, but it's better now than later during the stretch run for one of the NFL's more surprising 3-2 teams so far this season:
The Raiders have internally discussed giving Ashton Jeanty a week off to heal at some point, per @DanGrazianoESPN
— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) October 14, 2026
“He does not want to take a week off and has pushed to play through the injuries. But the Raiders' bye isn't until Week 13, and there may come a week in the near…
As for when Jeanty could get this random week off, the Raiders have two upcoming home dates with the Los Angeles Rams and the Buffalo Bills. I would venture to guess that Jeanty will power through to play in front of his home fans given the star power of both matchups. It would make the most sense for Jeanty not to play in a Week 8 road game with the New York Jets on Sunday, November 1st, given the lower level of competition and the cross-country trip that Jeanty likely wouldn't make.
At the time of this writing, Jeanty is 16th in the NFL in rushing yards with 291. He is averaging just 3.3 yards per carry, though. He ranks third among running backs in receiving yards with 215, behind Jahmyr Gibbs and Jaylen Warren.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: The Raiders seem ready to steal a random week off for injured Ashton Jeanty
