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Paul Gutierrez, ESPN Staff Writer
HENDERSON, Nev. — The Las Vegas Raiders placed starting defensive end Malcolm Koonce on injured reserve Saturday, two days after he suffered a knee injury in practice, and one day before the team’s season opener at the Los Angeles Chargers. And while Koonce will have to miss at least four games, sources have said the injury could be season-ending.
It’s a tough blow for Koonce, who is coming off a career-best 8.0-sack season and was entering a contract year. Koonce, who played opposite three-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby, was seen wearing a sleeve on his right knee at the start of practice on Wednesday but was not wearing it during the opening periods of practice Thursday.
“Next-man-up mentality,” a downtrodden Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said Friday.
As such, the Raiders elevated DE Charles Snowden from the practice squad Saturday to join Crosby and fellow edge rushers Tyree Wilson, the No. 7 overall pick of the 2023 draft, and Janarius Robinson. Elsewhere on the defense, the Raiders also activated cornerback Sam Webb from the practice squad.
“Those guys (will) have got a lot of opportunities to play,” Pierce said, “and we expect them to step up and play well.”
Wilson was slowed as a rookie as he recovered from surgery on his right foot from an injury suffered in college and had just 3.5 sacks, 2.0 in the Raiders’ final five games, and appeared to have trouble with the speed of the NFL game.
After a healthy training camp, Wilson said he is eager to play.
“I’ve been practicing for my moment,” Wilson said Friday. “I hate it; Malcolm’s my brother. But this is the start of the season so I’ve got to go out there and represent, like he would want me to.
“This training camp was great. Actually getting to work on fundamentals and being able to know different formations and backfield sets that helped me get the edge on the offense. So this training camp was way different than last year.”
Robinson, meanwhile, had one sack in six games, two starts, for Las Vegas last season.
“It’s always tough to see a brother, a teammate of yours, go down,” Robinson said. “But we all prepare every day and go into practice and meetings and prepare to be in that role, just in case something happens. And, unfortunately, this is what happened, and we’ve got to step in those shoes and fill that role of Malcolm and put on our best game for him.”
Wilson began to find success last season when he was rotated to the interior, as well as on the outside.
“Man, I was there on the field with (Koonce) when he went down,” Wilson said. “I prayed that it wasn’t a major injury, but this game, you’ve got to keep moving forward. So, we’ve got a game this week and that’s my focus.”