Getty Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce.
Things weren’t looking great for Malcolm Koonce when the Las Vegas Raiders placed him on Injured Reserve but the team was remaining mum on just how long he could be out. Well, it looks like they have their answer.
According to a September 20 X post from NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Koonce is out for the year with a “serious” knee injury.
This doesn’t come as a surprise as head coach Antonio Pierce has hinted that things weren’t looking good for the defensive end. This is devastating news for Koonce who was ready for his biggest role yet in the Raiders after he came off a career season in 2023 that saw him notch 8.0 sacks.
Expectations were high for him in 2024 but now he won’t get a chance to play. What makes it worse for Koonce is that he’s in a contract year and won’t be able to show what he can do before he hits free agency. The Raiders already signed K’Lavon Chaisson as a replacement but could potentially look to add more defensive end depth now that Koonce is done for the year. The defensive line was supposed to be the team’s biggest strength this season and losing Koonce is a serious blow.
What’s Next for Raiders & Malcolm Koonce?
The Raiders’ defensive line may not be as effective this season but should still be a strong group. Maxx Crosby is a Defensive Player of the Year candidate and Christian Wilkins has been solid in his first two games with the team. However, the team needs another defensive end to step up. Tyree Wilson has been hurt in the first two games while Charles Snowden and Janarius Robinson haven’t done much. This is a great opportunity for all three of them to make a name for themselves.
For Koonce, he may need to take a one-year contract with the Raiders in the offseason to try and regain some value. A big season from him would’ve likely meant a huge contract was heading his way in free agency. He’s only had one season where he made any sort of impact so teams aren’t going to be lining up to pay him. Coming back to the Raiders in a defense he knows would be his best option going forward.
Tyree Wilson to Return in Week 3
While the Koonce news is devastating to the Raiders, they did get some good injury news. Wilson will be returning in Week 3, Pierce announced during his September 20 press conference. The former first-round pick didn’t show much his rookie season but the Raiders are hoping he can take a leap in Year 2.
Now that Koonce is out, Wilson will have plenty of opportunities to make plays. He didn’t have an overly impressive training camp or preseason so it remains to be seen if he can be an impact player. It would help the Raiders a lot if he could live up to his draft status. Wilson has all the talent to be an elite pass rusher but he has trouble getting off the line of scrimmage and has limited pass rush moves. He’ll be able to work on all those things for the rest of the season.
