The Las Vegas Raiders’ 2026 RB2 battle is intriguing—will new head coach Klint Kubiak select free agent Najee Harris to back up Ashton Jeanty? Well, let’s see what Raider Nation thinks.
Las Vegas is set to meet with Harris next Thursday, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport—and the timing raises legitimate questions about the Raiders’ backfield construction heading into 2026.
The arithmetic is straightforward. Las Vegas finished dead last in rushing last season, owns a rookie in Ashton Jeanty who cannot reasonably absorb a full workload as a second-year back, and now operates under Kubiak, who runs a two-back system by design. A veteran complement makes structural sense here. It also could be a relatively cheap way to address a major problem from last year.
Ashton Jeanty and Najee Harris: The next one-two punch?
The complications are equally straightforward. Harris, 28, is approximately six months removed from an Achilles tear—one of the more unforgiving injuries for a running back whose game was never predicated on burst. His final season in Pittsburgh saw him produce his last 1,000-yard campaign back in 2024.
Related: Underrated coaching hire will help Ashton Jeanty this year
The Raiders aren’t necessarily betting on the Najee Harris of 2021, when he had his sole Pro Bowl nod. They’re betting on whether any functional version of him exists in 2026.
That’s the real question here.
Is the Harris visit a calculated depth move in a two-back system—or a placeholder signing masking a dangerously thin depth chart?
Thoughts, Raider Nation? Cast your vote below or drop a comment.
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