Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak is seeing plenty to like from rookie running back Mike Washington Jr. He continues to make plays in practice and preseason action.
Kubiak had blunt praise for Washington after Tuesday’s joint practice, telling reporters that he has answered every challenge put in front of him this camp. “Very few guys just rise to the occasion and become gamers,” Kubiak said, noting Washington earned his opportunities in practice first before turning that into production on the field.
The coach’s takeaway: keep raising the bar for him…
That comment lands right after a Week 1 preseason showing that turned heads. In the Raiders’ 27-14 loss to Arizona, Washington broke off 63 yards on just six carries, with the bulk of that yardage coming after contact, and Pro Football Focus named him to its preseason Week 1 rookie team of the week at running back.
That’s notable for a fourth-round pick who wasn’t even in the building six months ago. Kubiak has been open since taking the job that he wants a true two-back system in Las Vegas, the same model he ran in Seattle with Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet, rather than leaning on Ashton Jeanty for a bell-cow workload behind a line that struggled last season.
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Washington has already logged reps with both the first and second teams in camp, and PFF’s own evaluation now has him as the clear No. 2 behind Jeanty, with his size giving Las Vegas a real change-of-pace punch. Every rep and every good outing banks him roster security heading into final cuts, and it raises the bar for anyone else chasing complementary-back snaps.
Expect Washington’s workload to keep climbing through the rest of preseason, with a real chance he’s locked in as Jeanty’s clear backup by Week 1 rather than still fighting for the job in September.
Where do you think Washington fits once the games count: true 1-2 punch with Jeanty, or still a change-of-pace role behind him? Let us know below.
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