Once the Las Vegas Raiders drafted Ashton Jeanty with the No. 6 pick in the 2025 NFL draft, the expectation was that he'd immediately take on a huge role.
The notion is understandable considering the high draft pick the Raiders used on the rookie, but head coach Pete Carroll is pumping the brakes on the idea that he's only going to lean on Jeanty in Year 1.
Carroll says multiple guys are going to get touches in Las Vegas' backfield, and how those carries are distributed will depend upon what his running backs show during practice.
"I love having multiple guys play," Carroll said on the final day of minicamp, per Grant Gordon of NFL.com. "I'm not relying on one guy, you know."
"They're gonna show us that, you know, when they get their chance to compete," Carroll added.
Carroll has a mixed bag when it comes to running back work distribution during his coaching career. Marshawn Lynch was a workhorse for Carroll in Seattle, but the Seahawks deployed multiple backs after he retired.
Behind Jeanty, the Raiders have an experienced running back in Raheem Mostert, who was signed in free agency, and second-year back Sincere McCormick, who showed flashes when he took the reins of the backfield late last season.
Mostert was considered the favorite to back up Jeanty entering the offseason, but McCormick is making a strong case for RB2.
“I don’t know that anybody had a bigger day to day than Sincere McCormick,” Hondo Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast. “In my opinion… if he continues to perform the way he is now, with pads on, I think he has a very good shot at not only being the solid third guy, I think he’s got a shot to possibly even challenge most… [but] nobody’s challenging Ashton [Jeanty], period.”
Along with McCormick and Mostert, former fourth-round pick Zamir White, who was very disappointing last season, is also vying for a backup role.
However, there have been trade rumors swirling around him this offseason, so he may not even be with the team when 2025 begins.
Carroll's comments are concerning for those who want to see a lot of Jeanty (we see you, fantasy owners), but we tend to believe the rookie's play will dictate how much he sees the field.
If Jeanty is as advertised, he's going to get a ton of work, something he is definitely built for. If he struggles, the Raiders will likely lean more on guys like Mostert and McCormick until Jeanty gets his feet under him.
