With starting quarterback Geno Smith doubtful to play this week amidst a 2-11 start to the season, the Raiders’ 2025 campaign is circling the drain. That shouldn’t take away from the positive news that star left tackle Kolton Miller is nearing a return to the field. 
Las Vegas announced today that Miller has returned to practice, opening his 21-day practice window in which he can be activated from injured reserve to the 53-man roster. Miller has missed the last 10 weeks with a high ankle sprain and hairline fracture. There’s little to play for, but these final four weeks will give Miller some opportunities to see exactly where he is in recovery and where he needs to get stronger in the offseason after a long rest.
Miller has been extremely reliable throughout his career, playing in 109 of a possible 116 games before this season and staring 107 of them. He missed two weeks in 2020, one game in 2022, and two separate two-game stretches in 2023. Before this season, he had never missed three games in a row, let alone nine.
In Miller’s absence, Stone Forsythe has been filling in for the team at left tackle, continuing in a role he had carried over from the team that drafted him. A sixth-round pick out of Florida back in 2021, Forsythe never earned a role as a full-time starter with the Seahawks, but he operated as the team’s swing tackle, starting 14 of 53 game appearances in four years.
Following the expiration of his rookie contract, Forsythe signed with the Giants as a free agent. After spending the offseason with New York, Forsythe failed to make the team’s initial 53-man roster and signed with Vegas the day after the roster cut deadline. The Raiders currently lead the NFL in sacks allowed, so new expected starter Kenny Pickett will likely rejoice to see Miller’s momentum pushing towards a return.