Given the shaky state of the Las Vegas Raiders offensive line, the news they got about left tackle Kolton Miller’s ankle injury was especially bad. Initially the injury Miller sustained Sunday against the Chicago Bears was described as a high ankle sprain, but an MRI changed that initial diagnosis to a hairline ankle fracture, so the tackle has been placed in injured reserve.
The designation means he’ll miss at least four games, adding more injury time to Miller’s uneven stint with the Raiders. He missed four games last year due to a shoulder issue that led to surgery, but Las Vegas gambled on his ability to stay healthy this summer and gave Miller a three-year, $66 million extension that included $42.5 million of guaranteed money, according to Saad Yusuf of The Athletic. Before that deal was reached, this year was scheduled to be Miller’s contract year.
The Raiders drafted Miller back in 2018, and he’s been a good, productive player since then. He's also posted, missing just seven games in seven years but this injury looks like it could cost Miller most of the season.
The injury occurred on the same day the Raiders made several successful offensive line adjustments that helped running back Ashton Jeanty have his first big breakout game against the Bears, with 138 yards rushing and three touchdowns, two in the air and another on the ground.
One unusual follow-up note from head coach Pete Carroll was that tackle Stone Forsythe would be in the mix to replace Miller. Forsythe is a player Carroll knows, given that he was drafted in the sixth round back when Carroll was in Seattle. Forsythe has made a total of 14 starts, with 13 occurring the last two years.
This move probably indicates a reluctance to start rookie tackle Charles Grant, a third-round pick this year who played at William&Mary. Grant has been inactive at times during his rookie season, and with the Raiders sitting at 1-3, Carroll can ill afford to turn over the protection for quarterback Geno Smith’s blind side to a first-year tackle from a small school.
The Raiders have a road game against the Indianapolis Colts, who have suddenly developed a high-powered offense led by resurgent quarterback Daniel Jones. Smith has been erratic lately, and after his three-interception against Chicago it would be foolish to put him into what could be a track meet game on the road.