Ashton Jeanty Injury Clouds Start to Raiders’ Season and 6 Other Things You May Have Missed Around the NFL

What had been an exciting weekend of NFL preseason football was immediately deflated on Sunday afternoon with some devastating injury news out of Sin City.

According to OnSI’s Hondo Carpenter, running back Ashton Jeanty left Raiders practice early on Sunday with a right knee injury.

“On the play, Jeanty was acting as a pass-catcher and was defended by CB Darien Porter,” Carpenter wrote. “The ball from [quarterback Kirk] Cousins was low, and Jeanty went down for the ball. It did not appear that there was a collision with Porter.”

Jeanty was reportedly unable to put pressure on his right leg before being helped off the field by trainers. His Las Vegas teammates went silent before dropping to a knee and praying for the running back.

Luckily, the Raiders received some relatively positive news later on Sunday night, as according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Jeanty is only believed to have sprained his ankle.

“The Raiders still are unsure how long he will be out,” the duo added on X. “But it is not considered a long-term injury and the organization is breathing a sigh of relief tonight.” Las Vegas reportedly declined to comment on Jeanty’s injury.

Selected out of Boise State with the No. 6 pick in the 2025 draft, Jeanty ran for 975 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie, averaging 3.7 yards per carry. He also caught 55 passes for 346 yards and an additional five scores through the air. Now entering his second season, Jeanty is expected to play an even larger role under new head coach Klint Kubiak—who has made clear his desire for the 22-year-old to be the focal point of the Raiders’ offense.

Even if Jeanty’s injury is only a sprained ankle, he could still miss time to start the season—which kicks off for Las Vegas on Sunday, Sept. 13, against the Dolphins. If he does, the team will likely lean on rookie Mike Washington Jr., along with veterans Dylan Laube and Dare Ogunbowale, to carry the load.

With that, here’s a look at what else you may have missed across another busy weekend in the NFL.

49ers activate TE George Kittle off PUP, opening up runway for return

In some better NFL injury news, the 49ers have activated tight end George Kittle off the physically unable to perform list.

Kittle, 32, tore his Achilles tendon in San Francisco’s wild-card round victory over the Eagles last January and underwent surgery soon after. After a successful rehab stint, he’s now looking to be ready for his team’s Week 1 contest against the Rams in Melbourne.

Amid a 2026 training camp in Santa Clara littered with various ailments, the 49ers have finally found themselves on the good side of injury luck heading into the regular season.

Decision on Browns’ starting quarterback job coming Monday

Watson, Sanders — Browns coach Todd Monken is expected to name a starting quarterback on Monday. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Browns coach Todd Monken relayed to reporters this weekend that he’ll be naming the team’s starting quarterback on Monday.

Cleveland has held an open competition between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders throughout the entirety of training camp, and while Watson has seemingly had the edge for the majority of the summer, Sanders closed the gap on Saturday afternoon—and may have done just enough to win the job.

While playing the entire first half against the Bills, the 24-year-old completed nine of 11 pass attempts (82%) for 74 yards, a touchdown and an interception—though the turnover came off a tipped pass. Sanders also posted a passer rating of 87.1.

RELATED: How Deshaun Watson May Have Coughed Up Browns’ QB1 Job

Watson, meanwhile, went just 5-for-12 through the air (42%) for 36 yards and an interception while registering a lowly 14.6 passer rating. He also made some telling comments after the game about the influx of boos he received from Browns fans during the game.

“It has nothing to do about the performance,” Watson explained. “It’s a little bit personal. I think that’s a disrespectful thing. I’m going to keep whatever I feel with me and my family internally on how I feel about that. Just move on.” He also said he’s not sure winning (or playing better) would change how fans feel about him, given that they cheered when he tore his Achilles the last time he was on the field in front of them in 2024.

Monken was asked Sunday if Watson’s comments would play a factor in his decision, to which he said they won’t, before eventually adding he’s not worried about the quarterback’s relationship—or lack thereof—with Browns fans taking away Cleveland’s home-field advantage.

“I’m not concerned about that,” said Monken. “What I’m concerned about is us playing well—as a team and on offense. Because when you play well, none of the other stuff matters. Just play well, coach well, score points, win games and none of that will even matter.”

The Browns will welcome the Patriots to Huntington Bank Field next Thursday night for their final preseason game. They’ll then head to Jacksonville to open the regular season against the Jaguars on Sept. 13.

49ers, Saints swap veterans Zamir White, Deion Jones

Jones, White — Deion Jones and Zamir White were traded for each other on Sunday night. | Jones: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / White: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

We got a late-night trade in the NFL on Sunday.

As first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Saints are sending linebacker Deion Jones to the 49ers in exchange for running back Zamir White. The move gives New Orleans some much-needed depth in the backfield as they deal with injuries to Alvin Kamara, Audric Estime and Devin Neal, while San Francisco adds another veteran presence on defense alongside Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw and Nick Bosa.

Want to read more about the trade? I graded it here.

J.J. McCarthy struggles in Vikings’ preseason loss to Ravens

The Vikings named Kyler Murray their starting quarterback over J.J. McCarthy before they even took the field for a preseason game. We found out why this past weekend.

McCarthy started Minnesota’s exhibition matchup against the Ravens on Saturday afternoon, playing the first quarter while completing five of 10 passes for 81 yards and posting a passer rating of 77.5. Across his four drives, the offense produced the following results:

Six plays, 16 yards, punt
Six plays, 62 yards, turnover on downs
Three plays, -4 yards, punt
Three plays, -3 yards, punt

Not good.

McCarthy’s performance has left some wondering whether he should remain the team’s backup heading into the season. The Vikings also have veterans Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer on the roster.

TE Dae’Quan Wright waived by Browns, plans to return to college football

College football is officially broken.

Amid the anarchy that has become NIL and the transfer portal, NFL players are apparently now allowed to return to the NCAA.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, tight end Dae’Quan Wright—who declared for and went unselected in the 2026 NFL draft—has an agreement in place with LSU to play college football this coming season.

The 22-year-old signed with the Eagles as a free agent this past spring and was waived in early August. He was then claimed by the Browns on Aug. 11, but did not appear in either of their first two preseason games. Cleveland waived Wright on Sunday—officially opening the door for an unprecedented return to college football, should he clear waivers.

Wright played at both Virginia Tech and Ole Miss from 2022 through ’25. While his NCAA eligibility had expired, he and a group of athletes filed a lawsuit and were granted a temporary restraining order that allows them to return for one more season. Wright entered the transfer portal last Wednesday.

Wild, wild times.

Michael Penix Jr. cleared for 11-on-11 drills

The Falcons’ quarterback competition can now officially begin as we approach the end of August, as Michael Penix Jr. has now been fully cleared to practice.

The third-year pro tore his left ACL last season and had only been participating in individual and 7-on-7 drills throughout the spring and summer. He’ll now return to team periods with less than three weeks to go until Atlanta’s regular-season opener in Pittsburgh on Sept. 13.

Penix and Tua Tagovailoa, who signed to a one-year deal with the Falcons this offseason, are in the midst of a battle for the team’s starting quarterback job. Tagovailoa has struggled throughout preseason and joint practice action thus far, notably throwing an interception and fumbling a snap during a team period with the Colts last Wednesday. He did not play in their preseason game on Saturday.

Atlanta returns to the practice field on Monday in Flowery Branch, Ga., before wrapping up their preseason slate on Friday against the Dolphins in Miami.

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