Week One certainly wasn't what fans of the Oakland Raiders were hoping for. After all the offseason talk about the new-look Raiders under recently installed head coach Jack Del Rio went out the window almost immediately as the Cincinnati Bengals took it to the silver and black again and again to the tune of a 20-point margin of victory. Even worse for the Raiders and their nation of faithful fans, it seems the loss also brought several potentially devastating injuries. Quarterback Derek Carr's injury to his hand stole headlines, though the prognosis is not yet know. Safety Nate Allen, on the other hand, injured his knee and, according to a report from Adam Schefter of ESPN, may find himself on the shelf for quite a while. Per Schefter, the team fears that Allen tore his ACL.
Adding to the pain of Allen's potential season-ending injury, is the revelation that Allen's backfield mate, safety Charles Woodson, will undergo an MRI on his shoulder, meaning the team may fear some type of joint or ligament injury.
Allen, 27, is a former second-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2010 NFL Draft. In his sixth NFL season, Allen joined the Raiders via a four-year, $23 million free agent contract that carries $11.8 million in guarantees.
If he's down for the season, rookie Keenan Lambert would seem to be the next player in line to take his place. If Woodson is down for any length of time, his duties will fall to veteran Larry Asante.
The Raiders and GM Reggie McKenzie will almost assuredly add another body or two to the safety position in light of these potentially devastating injuries.
