Las Vegas took Crawford 67th overall out of Auburn this spring, banking on a developing pass-rusher who could rotate behind Maxx Crosby and Kwity Paye as a rookie. Instead, he's headed to injured reserve without playing a regular-season snap.
Kubiak said #Raiders rookie DE Keyron Crawford has an Achilles injury.
Ryan McFadden was first to relay Kubiak's update on the injury, and ProFootballTalk quickly confirmed the bigger picture: Crawford is done for the entire 2026 season.
Raiders third-round pick Keyron Crawford to miss season with Achilles injury. t.co/jCbknYwv1T
The injury reportedly traces back to the Raiders' preseason finale against San Francisco, when Crawford was pushed down while blitzing and fell awkwardly, needing to be carted off. It's a brutal way for a third-rounder to open his NFL career after four college seasons split between Arkansas State and Auburn, where he racked up 58 tackles, 10.5 for loss and 5 sacks in 24 games at Auburn alone.
For the Raiders, it means Patrick Johnson steps into the rotation instead. Johnson flashed in the preseason with 11 tackles and 2 sacks across 3 games, and now he'll get real reps behind Crosby and Kwity Paye while Crawford spends his rookie year rehabbing rather than rushing the passer.
It's a tough break for a player who was drafted specifically to add juice to that edge room. Achilles injuries are notoriously slow comebacks, so the hope in Vegas is simply that Crawford returns healthy for 2027 and doesn't lose more than the season he's already losing now.