The Las Vegas Raiders added two players to their Thursday injury report ahead of the Week 1 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The two players are guard Jackson Powers-Johnson and defensive end Malcolm Koonce. JPJ, who is dealing with an illness, did not practice and Koonce was limited with a knee injury after practicing in full the day before.
Koonce’s status is very notable, as he’s the starter opposite Maxx Crosby. Powers-Johnson is expected to start at left guard at some point this season, but that wasn’t going to happen in Week 1 after he missed significant time during the offseason.
As far as the rest of the injury report is concerned, there were no changes.
Tight end Brock Bowers (foot), linebacker Tommy Eichenberg (knee) and cornerback Decamerion Richardson (concussion) remained limited. Defensive end Tyree Wilson (foot), linebacker Robert Spillane (back), left tackle Kolton Miller (shoulder) and long snapper Jacob Bobenmoyer were full participants once again.
Koonce was a revelation for the Raiders last season, with the former third-round pick tallying eight sacks in what was a career campaign for him. It goes without saying how important he is to Las Vegas’ 2024 defense, a group that has the potential to be elite.
The Raiders will release their final injury report of the week on Friday, so we’ll know more then about where Koonce stands in terms of his chances of playing.