An otherwise solid effort from the Oakland Raiders in their preseason debut was marred by what could be a serious blow to the team’s early-season success.
Starting defensive end Mario Edwards injured his hip in the first half of Oakland’s win against the Arizona Cardinals. The injury itself didn’t look too terrible.
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Though, Edwards was seen in serious pain following the play.
It’s now being reported that Edwards, a second-round pick back in 2015, could miss the next 4-6 weeks (via Pro Football Talk).
If Edwards were to miss four weeks, he’d have to sit out the Raiders’ regular season opener. Unfortunately, the six-week time frame would force him out the first three games.
A strained hip could be something that drags on for a while, especially when it comes to someone that relies on a push off the line.
As it relates to Edwards’ long-term prognosis, this is a much less severe injury than the neck issue he dealt with towards the latter part of last season. At one point, that specific injury was seen as career threatening.
The Florida State product recorded 42 tackles and two sacks in 14 games (10 starts) last season. He’s seen as one of the top young run-stuffing defensive ends in the game.