It was in the Raiders‘ week four game on September 28 that left tackle Kolton Miller went down with an ankle injury. It was revealed after the game that Miller had an ankle sprain as well as a hairline fracture, which meant he was going to miss some time. Two days later Miller was placed on injured reserve.

A trip to IR meant he would be out at least four games. With the bye week occurring in the middle of that, it was actually five weeks. That means he was first eligible to return last week when the Raiders were preparing for their Thursday Night matchup against the Broncos.

His actual injuries, however, carry a longer timeline. Potentially much longer.

Depending on the severity of the ankle sprain, the timeline varies. It was a high-ankle sprain which has an expected timeline of like six weeks. So, if that were all he was dealing with, he’d be on schedule for a return this week.

Adding the hairline fracture to the mix complicates things though. The expected recovery for that is at least eight weeks and up to 12 weeks. Those timelines would have his return happening until at least December. Or perhaps not at all. If it were closer to 12 weeks, then it would probably be best to just make the call and look to next year. At which point at least you’d expect he’ll be ready to go for offseason workouts in April.

With this season looking like a wash, there’s no reason to rush him back. But next year they will need Miller back on the field. He has been their best lineman for a number of years now and the multi-year extension Miller received this offseason to reflected that.

This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Raiders LT Kolton Miller eligible for IR return. What’s injury timeline?