Raiders' Hunter Renfrow out 'for a while' with rib injury

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Oakland Raiders rookie slot receiver Hunter Renfrow is out "for a while" with a rib injury, coach Jon Gruden said Monday in his weekly media conference.

"Big loss for our team," Gruden said.

"It's a big, big loss for us," he said. "We've had a lot of turnover at that position this year. It's really too bad ... Renfrow's going to be a great Raider. He's really been playing good for us."

Gruden would not go into specifics or the severity of Renfrow's injury, though NFL Network reported that he had suffered a broken rib and a punctured lung. Renfrow did return to Oakland with the team.

Renfrow took to Twitter on Monday evening to thank Oakland and its fans for their support.

Renfrow was initially injured on a hit by New York Jets cornerbackBlessuan Austinbefore the ball arrived, though no flag was thrown. Renfrow later returned and was again injured under a pile on a tackle by defensive end Henry Anderson. He would not return to the game after that third-quarter hit.

Renfrow, a fifth-round draft pick out of Clemson, has caught 36 passes for 396 yards and two touchdowns.

Gruden said the Raiders could move undrafted rookie receiver Keelan Doss into the slot, as well as receiver Zay Jones or tight ends Darren Waller and Derek Carrier.

"We'll see who we plug in there as we prepare for the Chiefs," Gruden said.

The Raiders (6-5) had their three-game winning streak ended with Sunday's 34-3 loss to the Jets and face the AFC West-leading Kansas City Chiefs (7-4) on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs beat the Raiders 28-10 in Oakland in Week 2 and are coming off their bye week.

Gruden acknowledged that Renfrow's season might over.

"We'll see the severity of it," Gruden said. "We'll never put anybody at risk. But there is a possibility. We've just got to make sure that he sees the people that he needs to see and we make the decision based on medical exams. So we're concerned, disappointed, and we're going to miss him."