After the Las Vegas Raiders and Josh Jacobs parted ways following the 2023 season, the running back position was a massive question heading into 2024. The Raiders held great expectations for Zamir White, who concluded the previous season with impressive performances.
Unfortunately, things really could not have gone worse. Las Vegas got a couple of decent performances out of Alexander Mattison, but apart from that, there wasn’t much to be excited about.
Thanks to the draft, the position in general got a major overhaul this offseason. Let’s take a look at how the spot will shake out for the Raiders in 2025.
Las Vegas Raiders 2025 Positional Overview: Running Back
The Starter: Ashton Jeanty
This is about as easy a choice as there is. Las Vegas used their first-round selection, the sixth overall pick in this year’s draft, on Ashton Jeanty, a running back out of Boise State.
Usually, teams don’t draft running backs this high. Jeanty isn’t any ordinary running back, though. He put together one of the greatest collegiate seasons we’ve ever seen in 2024, and if he wasn’t supplanted by Travis Hunter’s sensational season at two positions, he would have won the Heisman.
Jeanty should see a ton of carries in 2025. Along with Brock Bowers, Jeanty is now the identity of the Raiders offense. Expect their game plan every week to revolve around him in some fashion.
The Backups
Raheem Mostert
The Raiders quietly added Raheem Mostert to their backfield this offseason. He feels like a player who has the best chance to be the second-string back, given his production recently.
Mostert held a smaller role in 2024, but he’s only two years removed from a 2023 season that saw him head to the Pro Bowl. That year, with the Miami Dolphins, Mostert led the league in touchdowns, with 21. He probably won’t have the largest role with the Raiders in 2025, but expect to see him get a few touches a game.
Sincere McCormick
You can’t ignore Sincere McCormick for this role, either. He was one of the few bright spots during what was an otherwise gloomy season last year. An injury ended up shortening his season, but all things considered, McCormick played too well to be discarded this year.
With that said, he’ll have to fight to earn his opportunities. Both Jeanty and Mostert were added this offseason, and each has an argument to receive more touches to begin the season. Yet, McCormick remains a player to watch.
Fighting To Make The Roster
Zamir White
A year ago, you certainly wouldn’t have expected to see Zamir White’s name in this category. He was coming off a stellar end to the 2023 season, and with Josh Jacobs gone, he had every chance to earn the starting running back role.
To put it simply, that didn’t happen. He had an extremely disappointing season. White was arguably the third-best running back on the roster behind Mattison and McCormick. Now, Jeanty, Mostert and McCormick have decent arguments for having a larger workload than White. He could make the roster, but it won’t be especially easy for him.
Dylan Laube
Despite being a late-round pick, there was a lot of hype regarding Dylan Laube heading into his rookie season in 2024. Unfortunately, that hype did not translate into significant playing time. And that lack of playing time didn’t get any better when he was stripped by T.J. Watt on his first NFL carry in Week 6 last year.
Laube could have a tougher time making this roster compared to the other Raiders running backs, but it really depends on how the new staff feels about him. Zamir White had more chances and was more disappointing last year. There’s a chance the staff could decide to roll with Laube over him, since he’s much more of an unknown. He’ll have to play well in training camp, for sure.
Chris Collier
Chris Collier is the final running back under contract for Las Vegas. He was picked up by the Raiders towards the end of the 2024 season and had five carries for 12 yards. He’s under contract through the 2025 season, and it costs the Raiders nothing to cut him. He’ll need to have a strong camp, and he’ll certainly need to outperform both Laube and White to make a strong case for the Week 1 roster.