Malcolm Koonce, the Las Vegas Raiders defensive end coming off of a career year in 2023, will miss the entire 2024 season.
Koonce, who was placed on the injured reserved list before the Raiders’ Week 1 game, already missed the first two games of the season. On Friday, NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reported that Koonce will miss the remainder of the year.
“Raiders pass rusher Malcolm Koonce suffered a serious knee injury during a recent practice and will miss the entire season, per multiple sources,” Schultz reported on X, formerly Twitter. “A devastating blow for Koonce, who’s coming off a career-best 8 sacks and 3 forced fumbles, and was entering the final year of his contract.”
Koonce was particularly strong during 2023’s Week 16 matchups between the Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day. The defensive end sacked Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes three times, tallied four quarterback hits and four tackles for a loss.
This is a big hit for both Koonce — who came into his own in 2023 while positioned on the other side of the line as Maxx Crosby. It’s also a big hit for the Raiders and potentially the trade market. Even if Las Vegas falls out of the postseason race, Koonce, in the final year of his contract, would have been a potentially solid trade deadline addition for a contending team.
[Jordan Schultz on X]