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The Las Vegas Raiders were not an efficient running team last season, even with Josh Jacobs running the ball.
The Raiders were 30th in the league in total rushing yards, 29th in rushing yards per attempt, and 26th in expected points added per game.
Jacobs is no longer a Raider, signing a contract with the Green Bay Packers in the first week of free agency. The Raiders got a glimpse of what life would be like without Jacobs at the end of last season when he missed the last four games of the year with a quad injury.
In that stretch, second-year back Zamir White picked up the slack with 84 carries for 397 yards and two total touchdowns. He gave the Raiders’ coaching staff much to look forward to as a potential lead back.
White officially has the title of lead back going into his third season. The Raiders hope he can build off his strong conclusion to the 2023 season.
There’s reason to believe he can, too. White is a durable back, having taken 20 or more carries in three of the last four games of the season. If the Raiders need him to be a workhorse, he has proven he can be one.
Coach Antonio Pierce wants his Raiders squad to be tough. What better way to out-tough an opponent than to establish the run and pound the ball, tiring out the defense on the other side?
Or, if the Raiders want to split up carries among their backs, they have multiple players who are capable of filling in the blanks. The team signed Alexander Mattison yesterday, a player who can also catch out of the backfield efficiently. They also brought back veteran Ameer Abdullah for depth.
Mattison offers a complementary skill set to White. White can be a downhill bruiser in the run game, and Mattison provides a more quick and shifty style of play. A proverbial thunder and lightning, if you will.
Another element of the Raiders’ run game that should be vastly improved is the scheme. Luke Getsy, who comes over from the Chicago Bears, fills in as the offensive coordinator. Getsy’s Bears teams finished second in the NFL in rushing attempts in 2022 and led the league in yards. In 2023, they finished second in the league in attempts again and second in yards.
Getsy knows how to scheme up an efficient run game and get the most out of his running backs. He’ll look to do that again with White and Mattison.
Another reason the Raiders’ run game should be much more effective in 2024 is because of the quarterback situation. Whether Aidan O’Connell, Gardner Minshew, or a rookie quarterback is the starter, they’ll be able to lean on the run game and won’t have to carry the bulk of the offense.
The Raiders offense struggled last season because they couldn’t run the ball efficiently. With all the aforementioned factors, including a new scheme, a new lead back, and a capable free agent, Las Vegas could get back to running the rock and putting up more points.
The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently have the No. 13 overall pick.
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