Las Vegas Raiders pass rusher Malcolm Koonce, who hurt his knee just before the season started, will miss the entire season, two sources told The Associated Press on Saturday.
These sources spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity since the Raiders have not yet announced that Koonce will be out for the season. The team placed him on injured reserve before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers, which means he would miss at least the first four games.
One of the sources mentioned that Koonce will soon have surgery to fix a torn ACL.
Koonce performed particularly well in the second half of last season, recording all eight of his career-high sacks starting on November 5 against the New York Giants. Six of those sacks happened in the last four games.
Charles Snowden, who was added to the active roster after Koonce’s injury, has started both games in his place and has made two tackles.
Defensive end Tyree Wilson, who hurt his knee during the game against the Chargers, will play in Sunday’s home opener against the Carolina Panthers, coach Antonio Pierce said on Friday.