September 5, 2024, seemed like any other day of practice for Malcolm Koonce
The Las Vegas Raiders were getting ready for their season opener in SoFi Stadium against the Los Angeles Chargers. Padded practice on that Thursday, walkthrough on Friday, wheels up on Saturday and kickoff on Sunday.
Not necessarily any other mundane day of practice, the intensity was a bit heightened due to the circumstances. Nevertheless, a fairly, normal day during a game week.
And by all accounts, Koonce was having his way.
"It was the end of practice, I think I was having a really good practice too on top of that" Koonce recalled.
"Before that first game, that Thursday going down – he was rolling. He was rolling," defensive line coach Rob Leonard said.
Koonce had stacked good days of practice throughout training camp in Costa Mesa, California, consistently finding his way in the backfield day after day. All signs pointed to he and Maxx Crosby becoming a formidable edge rushing duo, considering Koonce recorded eight sacks in the last nine games of the previous 2023 season.
Coming off the edge in the last period of practice, he ran a stunt inside toward the guard. Before initiating any contact, he could feel his knee buckle.
The Raiders training staff sprinted out on the field as a sharp silence spread over the entire team.
"I was praying that it wasn't that serious and I would be able to play through it," Koonce said. "Because whatever it was, if it was playable, I was going to play regardless."
Surprisingly enough, Koonce got himself off the ground and walked off the field to the training room under his own power.
"He's a strong guy. When you have a strong guy like that, you test him out," said Drew Grant, Raiders director of rehabilitation. "Everything kind of seems like something is wrong, but it doesn't seem that bad."
"He came in and it really wasn't crazy swollen," added Chris Cortez, Raiders head athletic trainer. "He was like, 'Look, I can do this' and and then kind of jogged. I was like, 'What the heck is this!' But that's just who Malcolm is. He just has that want to compete."
After an MRI, it was determined that Koonce tore his ACL and meniscus in his knee. Human nature took over as Koonce's mind started wandering uncontrollably.
Now in 2025, a year removed from suffering the injury, Koonce stared into space as he went back to that moment, holding back from becoming emotional.
"The game plan we had for the Chargers that week, I had a big role. The first thing that came to my mind was, 'Damn.' I felt like I was letting everyone down."
In a modern era of professional football where players can choose their own trainers and rehabilitation staff to recover from injuries, Koonce wanted to keep everything in-house. It was a personal decision he didn't take any time mulling over.
'We gave him the option, you can go back home and do your rehab or you can stick around here – we got everything you need," Grant said. "For him it was, 'Yeah, I'm definitely staying here. We're definitely working here.'"
Cortez and Grant proceeded to start Koonce's rehab before he even had surgery. The mission was to get his knee in as good shape as possible so it would be strong as possible after surgery.
Following a successful operation, the real dog days began.
Koonce had to relearn the most simplistic things in his daily life. He couldn't drive, he couldn't shower, he couldn't walk up or down stairs or even sleep in his own bed.
"On top of that, I'm making you come in every single day in rehab and I'm putting you through hell," Grant said. "I'm trying to get your motion back as fast as possible, I'm trying to make sure you get your strength back as fast as possible. And that starts Day 1."
While the physical aspect of the situation was tough, the feeling of watching the team from the sideline was far more difficult for the defensive end.
"The first few weeks, the team is playing and you see opportunities where you're like, 'Oh, I could do this and I could do that,'" Koonce said. "But then you take a step back and you're like, 'Oh no, I can't do that because I'm not going to play the whole season.' Those first few weeks were pretty rough.
"And that was the first time in my career that I missed a game for an injury, let alone a season."
Koonce quietly sought solace in his family, talking on the phone with his parents every day. Being in the building also allowed him to be around his teammates, who provided encouragement on tough days.
But even in times of despair or doubt, he kept a brave face.
"Malcolm's demeanor never changed," Grant said. "From the first two weeks he came in post [operation] until we cleared him, his demeanor never changed. You would've never know how difficult it was for him because he put on his hard hat and just kept working."
"His success is going to help everybody," Cortez added. "Gaving a part of that, an integral portion of that, it's something you don't take for granted and something you really, really find joy in. When you get a guy you know has been working his tail off to get back, knowing he's putting in days and hours to get where he needs to be and seeing that on the field. You can't beat that."
This offseason, the Raiders training staff took an old board in the back of their recovery room and wiped it clean. The board's sole purpose now is for each player who successfully completes a longterm rehabilitation with their staff to sign it once they're medically cleared to play again.
As there's hope one day the blackboard will be filled to the brim with signatures, Koonce is the first player to sign his name in silver Sharpie.
"Every day we were hammering away, workout after workout, setting up plans, setting up stuff I had to do at home," Koonce said of working with the Raiders training staff. "For me, the surgery was going to happen and I'm trying to come back and not miss a beat. So whatever I had to do, whether it was extra work, or massages or this or that – I would've done anything."
