Ashton Jeanty’s Low Ankle Sprain: What Raiders Fans (And Weekend Athletes) Need to Know

Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty was helped off the practice field Aug. 23 after landing awkwardly while diving for a low pass from quarterback Kirk Cousins, and the team’s fan base braced for the worst. Teammates knelt around him. He couldn’t put weight on his right leg. Within hours, ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the injury was a sprained ankle — and two days later, Rapoport delivered the encouraging detail that matters: the sprain is believed to be more low than high, not considered a major injury, and the Raiders remain hopeful he’ll be ready for Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins.

The distinction between a low ankle sprain and a high ankle sprain is exactly why the news shifted from alarming to encouraging in 48 hours, and it’s worth understanding whether you’re a fantasy manager or a weekend athlete on a pickleball court in Naples. Here’s what was reported, what a low ankle sprain actually is, and how these injuries are diagnosed and treated.

What happened to Ashton Jeanty

• Sunday, Aug. 23: Jeanty, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 draft and the Raiders’ second-year starting running back, went down during practice while diving for a low pass. He was helped off the field unable to put weight on his right leg.
• Sunday night: ESPN and NFL Network reported the injury as a sprained ankle, not considered a long-term injury.
• Tuesday, Aug. 25: Rapoport reported the sprain is “believed to be more low than high” and “not considered to be a major injury,” though there is a chance he misses Week 1. He sat out the preseason finale.
• Tuesday afternoon: Coach Klint Kubiak declined to give a timeline, telling reporters only that Jeanty is “on the mend.”

Sports medicine analysts have speculated return timelines ranging from roughly three to six weeks depending on severity, which would put Week 1 in jeopardy but the early season intact. The Raiders have not announced an official diagnosis beyond “low ankle sprain,” and no surgery is expected.

Low ankle sprain vs. high ankle sprain: why the difference matters

Ankle sprains are graded by severity and classified by which ligaments are injured, and the two most common football labels — “low” and “high” — mean very different things for recovery time.

A low ankle sprain is an injury to the ligaments on the outside of the ankle, most often the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL). It happens when the foot rolls inward and the sole turns toward the other foot — the classic “rolled ankle.” Most ankle sprains, at every level of sport, are low sprains.

A high ankle sprain injures the ligaments connecting the tibia and fibula just above the ankle joint (the syndesmosis). It typically happens when the foot is planted and the leg rotates externally — a harder mechanism, slower to heal, and the reason a “high” label makes teams and fans wince. High ankle sprains commonly keep players out 4-8 weeks or longer; low sprains often resolve in 1-3 weeks depending on grade.

That’s why Rapoport’s “more low than high” report moved Jeanty’s outlook from “could miss a month or more” to “hopeful for Week 1.” The same mechanism that looks identical from the sideline can carry very different recovery clocks depending on which ligament tore.

What a low ankle sprain actually is

The ankle joint is held together by ligaments — tough bands that connect bone to bone. A sprain is a stretch or tear of one or more of those ligaments. The lateral (outer) ligament complex has three parts, and the ATFL is the one most often injured when the foot rolls inward under load.

Sprains are graded by how much of the ligament tears:

• Grade 1 (mild): ligament stretched, not torn. Mild swelling, minimal function loss, walking usually fine.
• Grade 2 (moderate): partial tear. Noticeable swelling, bruising, pain with weight-bearing, some loss of motion and function.
• Grade 3 (severe): complete tear. Significant swelling, often unable to bear weight, joint instability.

Sports medicine analysts reviewing the Jeanty reports have suggested a Grade 2 low sprain is the likely working diagnosis — enough to threaten Week 1, not enough to threaten the season. Athletes at every level face the same trade-off: return too fast and the ligament heals loose, which raises the risk of spraining it again.

Symptoms of a low ankle sprain

• Pain on the outside of the ankle, worse with walking or pushing off
• Swelling and bruising around the outer ankle bone, often appearing within hours
• Tenderness over the injured ligament, not over the bone itself
• Pain when the foot is rolled inward, reproducing the injury motion
• Stiffness and reduced range of motion
• In Grade 3 injuries, a feeling of the ankle “giving way” or instability

Red flags that point beyond a simple sprain — and toward imaging: pain directly over the malleolus (the ankle bones) or over the base of the fifth metatarsal (the outer edge of the foot), inability to take four steps immediately after injury, or pain that doesn’t improve within a few days. Those findings raise concern for an ankle fracture or a fifth metatarsal fracture, which need different treatment.

How it’s diagnosed

Evaluation starts with a history of the mechanism and a physical exam: where it hurts, how swollen, which ligament is tender, whether the joint is stable when stressed. The Ottawa Ankle Rules guide the decision on whether X-rays are needed — pain near the malleoli or specific midfoot zones, plus inability to bear weight, are the criteria.

When imaging is indicated, weight-bearing X-rays come first. If a high ankle sprain is suspected, special views or an MRI can evaluate the syndesmosis. MRI is the study of choice when a severe sprain, osteochondral injury, or fracture is suspected, or when recovery stalls beyond expectations.

Treatment: from ice and taping to surgery

Most low ankle sprains — including the moderate ones that cost NFL starters a week or two — heal without surgery. Treatment follows a progression:

• Phase 1 (first days): relative rest, ice, compression, elevation. Protected weight-bearing with a walking boot or brace if walking is painful. Early motion is encouraged once acute pain allows.
• Phase 2 (recovery): progressive weight-bearing, balance and proprioception work (single-leg stance, wobble board), peroneal strengthening, range-of-motion restoration.
• Phase 3 (return to sport): sport-specific drills, cutting and jumping progression, often with an ankle brace or tape for additional support during the transition.
• NSAIDs for pain control are commonly used short-term; prolonged use is sometimes avoided early after fracture but is generally acceptable in sprains.
• Surgery is reserved for Grade 3 injuries with ongoing instability that fails structured nonoperative care, or for associated injuries (fracture, syndesmosis disruption, torn peroneal tendons). In those cases, ligament repair — often arthroscopically assisted — restores stability, and return to sport typically takes months, not weeks.

For a pro athlete, the difference between a 2-week and a 6-week absence is a full training staff and daily evaluation. For everyone else, the difference is usually whether the injury gets properly graded in the first week. An untreated or under-treated sprain — especially a repeated one — can lead to chronic ankle instability, peroneal tendon problems, or ankle cartilage damage that surfaces years later.

When a sprained ankle needs more than rest

Most sprained ankles improve steadily with rest and strengthening. Get evaluated promptly — ideally the same day or within a few days — if any of these apply:

• You can’t bear weight immediately after the injury, or the pain is severe
• Swelling is significant, or the ankle looks deformed
• Numbness, tingling, or the foot feels cold or dusky
• Pain sits over the bone rather than the soft spot between the ankle bone and the tendon
• The ankle keeps “giving way” after a previous sprain — that’s chronic instability, and it needs a plan
• Sprains that haven’t improved after 1-2 weeks of proper care

Diabetics and patients with neuropathy should be especially careful: a foot or ankle injury that wouldn’t slow a healthy patient down can become a serious wound in a diabetic foot, and podiatric evaluation should not wait.

Ankle sprain treatment in Naples and Southwest Florida

Family Foot & Leg Center, PA (FFLC) has been the region’s lower-extremity practice since 2005, with nine locations from Marco Island to Sarasota — Naples, Estero, Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Port Charlotte, and Sarasota. Our team of board-certified podiatrists treats ankle sprains and the full range of foot and ankle injuries, from weekend pickleball and golf injuries to football, soccer, and running injuries in athletes of all ages.

Same-day and urgent care appointments are available, and a 24/7 self-service scheduling tool and AI phone agents around the clock mean you don’t have to wait for a weekday morning to get an injury looked at. In-office digital X-rays let us grade the sprain, rule out fracture, and start treatment in a single visit.

FFLC offers the full spectrum of ankle sprain care:

• Same-day evaluation and digital X-ray to grade the sprain and rule out fracture
• Bracing, boot immobilization, and taping protocols for moderate sprains
• Physical therapy referral and home-program coordination for strengthening and balance work
• Custom orthotics and gait evaluation to address the mechanics that led to the roll
• Surgical ligament repair and ankle stabilization for Grade 3 sprains and chronic instability
• Foot and ankle trauma and urgent care for fractures, tendon injuries, and injuries that don’t fit the “simple sprain” pattern

Whether your injury happened on the pickleball court, the golf course, a run, or a ladder in the garage, the fastest way back to your sport is an accurate grade and a structured plan — not waiting it out and hoping.

Schedule an appointment at FFLC

If you’ve rolled your ankle — on the court, the course, or a curb — don’t wait to see if it gets better on its own. The board-certified podiatrists at Family Foot & Leg Center grade and treat ankle sprains at nine Southwest Florida locations from Marco Island to Sarasota, with same-day appointments and 24/7 self-service scheduling.

Schedule an appointment at FFLC — call 239-430-3668, available 24/7 with AI agents to book you, or book online anytime at naplespodiatrist.com.