Zamir White struggled mightily when given the chance to start for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2024, following a strong finish to the 2023 season.
The Raiders had a few key wins during the home stretch of the 2023 season, and they were pivotal in terms of securing the full-time head coaching job for Antonio Pierce. Those games had a similar theme, for the most part. Las Vegas controlled their wins through their run game, mainly behind White, and played stout defense.
Their desire to operate off the running game wasn’t something the Raiders were hiding ahead of the 2024 season. Although they lost Josh Jacobs to free agency, the Raiders did expect a big year out of White after he had a solid run in 2023.
Unfortunately, White’s 2024 season was a disappointment. Let’s take a closer look at his campaign.
The lowest of lows for Raiders RB Zamir White…
White had plenty of rough games this year. He only played in eight but had no impressive performances when looking at the stat sheet. White had two disappointing games to start the year.
Against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1, White ran the ball 13 times and picked up just 44 yards on the ground. That’s an average of just 3.4 per carry, and he also lost a crucial fumble.
White followed that up with another poor performance in the Raiders win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2. He somehow regressed from his first showing, picking up just 2.7 yards per carry on his nine attempts. That performance highlighted some of his weaknesses, including his vision.
I talked about Zamir White not fitting a zone scheme a lot on TDL.
Looks like mid zone here and he has the lane to bounce this especially with the leverage Mayer has on 40. He just runs forward and gets two. Not reading it well. pic.twitter.com/m8h6aSk13O
— Marcus Johnson (@TheMarcJohnNFL) September 16, 2024
White had one game in which he rushed for 50 yards. That’s the highest total he had all season, and it came in the Raiders’ second win of the season, against the Cleveland Browns. However, that was still a struggle for White. While he did hit 50 yards on the ground, it took him 17 attempts to get there, for a brutal average of 2.9 yards per carry. He lost a crucial fumble in that game as well, which allowed Cleveland a chance to win it at the end.
A disappointing year for No. 3
Last year’s Raiders roster was largely disappointing. White is just one of the more common examples. Part of the reason for that is due to the success he had as a starter in 2023. He only started four games and had just 104 attempts. He did well with those chances, picking up 451 yards on an average of 4.3 per carry.
Therefore, Las Vegas felt confident in undervaluing Josh Jacobs during his free agency period, as they believed White would continue his success. Regrettably, White’s performance was significantly diminished. During the 2024 season, White ran for an average of 2.8 yards per carry. His yards-per-carry averages for each game were 3.4, 2.7, 3.4, 2.9, 4.3, -0.5, 1.7 and 1.8.
Only rushing for more than three yards per carry three times in eight games just isn’t going to cut it. His lack of production caused the Raiders to slash his carries, as the offense started to rely on Alexander Mattison and then Sincere McCormick later in the year. Both of these backs did better than White in the same offense.
White’s now in an intriguing position. He got a lot of hype before the year began, and not just from Raiders fans. Many around the league expected him to have a successful year in an offense that prioritized getting him the ball. After such a disappointing year, White now heads into the final season of his rookie contract. Las Vegas will likely bring in a running back this offseason, which may force Zamir White to find another home in free agency next year.
*Top Photo: Getty Images
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