Las Vegas Raiders: FanSided picks Josh Jacobs as team’s MVP candidate

The Las Vegas Raiders have an elite running back in Josh Jacobs, and FanSided recently named him their top MVP candidate.

Heading into the 2020 NFL season, there is a lot to like about the Las Vegas Raiders offense. They have a quarterback entering his third season in Jon Gruden’s system, and is coming off a career-high in passing yards, while their running back and tight end are elite talents at their respective positions.

In terms of the running back, Josh Jacobs is as good as it gets in terms of production, as he rushed over over 1,100 yards in only 13 starts last season. The standout talent from Alabama as did most of his damage in 2019 with a fractured shoulder, and now that he is healthy, he should have an even bigger role in the offense in the passing game.

Rucker Haringey from FanSided recently named one player from each NFL team that could possibly win the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award. For the Raiders, it was their second-year back who had a record breaking rookie season in 2019.

Haringey names Jacobs as the team’s MVP candidate

In the piece, Haringey states that Jacobs is going to be the key to this Raiders offense in 2020 and beyond. While the team is not sure on Derek Carr, according to Haringey, they have their featured back in Jacobs.

"He’ll need to build on his outstanding rookie campaign to become the league MVP. Leading the NFL in rushing should be a minimum requirement. It might take a division title for the Raiders too if his candidacy is going to take off."

While it is true that Jacobs is a special talent, and will likely have to win the rushing title to get the award, a division title may be a bit of stretch. The Raiders are going to be playing in a lot of primetime games in 2020, and he is going to be very much featured in their offense, so if he can go off under the bright lights, he will continue to grow his candidacy.

Incredibly, CBS Sports recently ranked Jacobs outside of the top-10 in terms of the position group, which is almost laughable at this point. While Jacobs may not be the best running back in the league right now, he is on the cusp of greatness, and the 2020 season is going to give him the opportunity to showcase his talents on the biggest stages.

Jacobs showed during his time with the Crimson Tide that he can get the job done in the passing game, and it will be interesting to see how Gruden features him in that role in 2020. This is a kid who can run around, or over defenders, as well as make them miss, and with a full slate, and a healthy shoulder, the NFL should be put on notice.