For the first time in many years, the Las Vegas Raiders had one of the league's worst and least exciting backfields. Led by free agent signee Alexander Mattison with a measly 420 rushing yards, he was complimented by Ameer Abdullah and Zamir White, who both had dreadful seasons.
With both Mattison and Abdullah slated to be free agents and White having proven he cannot be relied on as the lead guy, it leaves two rookies in Sincere McCormick and Dylan Laube as the lone backs on the roster. While McCormick showed some promise as a rotational piece, Laube could barely find playing time.
The lack of a lead runner is a new issue for Las Vegas as they were led by star halfback Josh Jacobs from 2019-2023 as he became one of the Raiders' best players ever at the position. With him now experiencing success in Green Bay with the Packers, it puts more pressure on the Raiders to find his replacement.
While there was once a time when teams didn’t sign running backs to long-term deals in free agency, the instant success of the aforementioned Jacobs as well as Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry on new teams has changed many’s stance on the position
Of course, the star power of last year’s free agent running back class has not been replicated this year. However, there are still plenty of quality ball carriers who would instantly lift the Raiders rushing attack. These three should be on the team's radar.