Mike Washington Jr. was supposed to be a fourth-round project. Instead, the rookie is forcing the Las Vegas Raiders to rethink just how much of their backfield he deserves.
Raiders general manager John Spytek recently said Washington is not just meeting the team’s expectations; he’s surpassing them. Speaking to reporters, Spytek credited new head coach Kubiak for pushing hard for Washington on Day 3 of the draft, calling him “the perfect scheme fit.” Spytek acknowledged that carving out real snaps as a rookie is difficult but said Washington’s strong preseason has the front office believing he’ll help the team win games this year.
Things fell into place for the Raiders…
The timing matters with Ashton Jeanty dealing with an ankle injury and Washington already stepping into the first-team backfield during practice, ahead of veteran depth pieces like Dylan Laube. Through two preseason games, Washington averaged 7.9 yards per carry with two rushes of 30-plus yards, and Pro Football Focus graded him as the top running back in the entire preseason field.
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For a Raiders offense trying to keep drives alive for Kirk Cousins and feed explosive plays to Brock Bowers and Jack Bech, having a proven change-of-pace, or potentially lead, back on a rookie contract is a real value add for both the offense’s ceiling and the roster’s flexibility heading into final cuts. It also lowers the urgency to add a veteran back off waivers if Jeanty’s ankle lingers.
Speculation: Even when Jeanty is back, expect Washington to see a real share of the workload, as the Raiders will use him in complementary, downhill packages, not as a pure backup who only plays in emergencies.
What do you think: does Washington’s preseason production mean the Raiders should manage Jeanty’s workload more carefully once he’s back, or was this just a hot summer stretch against backups?
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