Raiders starter on defense suffers season-ending knee injury

Raiders safety Marcus Epps suffered a season-ending knee injury in Sunday’s loss to the Panthers, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed Monday.

It’s a significant loss for the Raiders, who leaned heavily on Epps’ leadership at the back end of their defense.

Third-year safety Isaiah Pola-Mao, who has played a rotational role during his time with the Raiders, stepped in for Epps on Sunday and will get the first crack at being the starter. The Raiders also have second-year safety Chris Smith II and rookie Thomas Harper on the roster. Rookie Trey Taylor, who is on injured reserve, is eligible to return after Sunday’s game against the Browns.

Pola-Mao will replace Epps for now.

“We’re really comfortable with (Pola-Moa),” Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said. “He had a really good preseason. Stepped up yesterday, did a pretty good job filling in.”

Epps, who is in the last year of his contract, is expected to be ready to play in 2025.

The news leaves the Raiders down two starters on defense for the rest of the year. Defensive end Malcolm Koonce is out for the year with a knee injury and is expected to undergo surgery soon.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.