According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Las Vegas Raiders have placed DE Chandler Jones on the Non-Football Illness list, and he won’t play against the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday night.
Jones was never expected to play as he has been dealing with a personal issue that’s kept him out this season.
Jones, a veteran and talented pass rusher, has been part of an uncertain off-field problem. Some have worried about his mental health and the Raiders recently sent a crisis worker to his house to try to get him to leave. Most recently, Jones’ social media account posted a story claiming his goddaughter had been molested. Later, he said his account was hacked. Since Jones, has been tweeting and active on social media though he remains away from the team.
Two days ago, he shared a photo of himself on social media, appearing to have lost a considerable amount of weight. He is listed at 260 pounds.
Jones, 33, signed a three-year, $51-million deal with the Raiders in March 2022. A star in Arizona, he has 112 career sacks, including a league-leading 17 of them in 2017. Last year, he picked up 4.5 sacks in his first year for Las Vegas, playing nearly 800 snaps. He played 29 snaps against the Steelers last season before being carted off with an elbow injury. That was the last snap he played for the team.
With Jones remaining out of the lineup, the Raiders’ main source of pass rush will come from star left defensive end Maxx Crosby, who led the team with 12.5 sacks a year ago. He has one sack through two games this season. There’s also rookie Tyree Wilson, the seventh overall pick of this year’s draft, though he’s struggled through his first two games.
Pittsburgh and Las Vegas square off Sunday night at 8:20 PM/EST.
