The Las Vegas Raiders will be without defensive end Malcolm Koonce for an extended period after the star defender was placed on injured reserve.
The team announced Koonce placement on injured reserve Saturday, meaning he will miss the first four games of the 2024 campaign. Koonce’s exact injury remains unknown at the time of writing, so it’s unclear if he’ll be back after that.
Koonce appeared on the injury report Thursday and was ruled out Friday. We had a pretty good idea it would last longer than a week given the way head coach Antonio Pierce was tight-lipped when asked about the defensive end Friday.
With Koonce out, the Raiders are going to need more from Tyree Wilson and Janarius Robinson, though expectations will obviously be much higher for the former after he was the No. 7 overall pick in 2023.
We signed DE Charles Snowden to the active roster and placed DE Malcolm Koonce on the reserve/injured list.
Additionally, we activated CB Sam Webb from the practice squad. pic.twitter.com/CUzviD6Cfp
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) September 7, 2024
Wilson is coming off a mediocre rookie campaign in which he recorded just 3.5 sacks and didn’t really show any signs of life until late in the season when the Raiders gave him playing time inside.
The second-year edge rusher received mixed reviews this offseason, but even the positive reviews weren’t enough to generate much optimism for him heading into Year 2.
In addition to placing Koonce on injured reserve, the Raiders promoted fellow defensive end Charles Snowden from the practice squad to the active roster and elevated cornerback Sam Webb from the practice squad for Week 1. Webb will provide additional depth with rookie Decamerion Richardson ruled out.
