A popular notion that’s been making waves is the possibility of a change in direction as far as the Las Vegas Raiders’ offense is concerned.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk stated earlier today that he predicts a shift in how new Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels will operate his offense. That’s based on two things. The first was a look at the running back group by The Athletic’s Vic Tafur. Second, is the historical usage of running backs by McDaniels in New England.
The Raiders will be using a committee at running back, right?
Fans were somewhat surprised to learn that Josh Jacobs’ contract wasn’t extended this offseason. Once the organization now headed by Dave Ziegler declined Jacobs’s fifth-year option, speculation settled in. However, Jacobs is still on the team, and despite not publicly taking part in OTAs, he’ll likely still see his fair share of carries. The question is, just how much is McDaniels planning on using him?
If we’re looking at what the Patriots did last season, McDaniels split the carries mostly between Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson. For his part, Harris totaled 202 rushing attempts and Stevenson accumulated 133. In addition, Brandon Bolden only saw 44 rushing attempts under McDaniels but did have 41 receptions, which was tops among the Patriots’ running backs.
It appears that the Raiders might follow suit with a similar plan. Luckily for McDaniels, he’ll have a bevy of options in which to attack opposing defenses. A duo of Jacobs and Kenyan Drake is likely, with a third option seeing playing time as well. Bolden, Ameer Abdullah, and Zamir White figure to compete this year for that right.
As for Jacobs, 2022 might see him fill a similar role to that which he served within Alabama’s offense. For example, in 2018, Jacobs was a key cog in a Crimson Tide rushing attack that was spearheaded by a notable trio. The trio was made up of Jacobs, Najee Harris, and Damien Harris. None of them cracked 1,000 yards rushing that season, but rather, it was in retrospect, a devastating attack by committee. Between the three of them, they accumulated 2,299 yards on the ground. The running back position will have plenty of eyes on it this training camp.
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*Top Photo: Chris Unger/Getty Images