The Las Vegas Raiders drafted Ashton Jeanty with clear plans to make him their workhorse back, and that came to fruition during his rookie season. He had 266 carries and 321 touches in his first campaign. Now imagine what his production would have been in even a semi-functional offense.
Not that there should have been any real motivation to take Jeanty off the field last season, but ideally, the next three running backs on the depth chart would combine for more than 41 carries. This year, with the inevitability of more work to go around in a better offense, Jeanty's carry total is in line to climb, while his percentage share of the backfield carries possibly drops just a bit.
Head coach Klint Kubiak set off early alarm bells regarding Jeanty when he suggested there might be a fairly equal timeshare in the Raiders' backfield, like he had as the Seattle Seahawks' offensive coordinator last season. But he has since come to his senses.
Rookie fourth-rounder Mike Washington Jr. is set to be a factor, but not likely anywhere near enough to crush the dreams of Raider Nation or Jeanty fantasy football managers.
Ashton Jeanty reveals his thoughts on Las Vegas Raiders' two-back system
During the Raiders' Media Day on Monday, Jeanty was asked if he likes the idea of a two-back system or not.
"Look, who I am, obviously, I want to be in the game every snap. But I think it is beneficial to have another guy that can come in and continue to wear the defense down and play at a high level. Super excited to team up with Mike (Washington Jr.). He's been doing a great job putting his head down and working. But you know, of course, naturally, you know I want the rock."
Kubiak has confirmed how much he values having a second capable running back, but ultimately, he acknowledged that "the best player has got to play." That, obviously, is Jeanty at this juncture, and that is hopefully true for the next decade.
As talented as Washington Jr. is, and for as many enticing physical as he has, the fourth-rounder has some work to do to become a complete NFL running back. And his rookie season role behind Jeanty is sure to reflect that.
But for as much as Jeanty wants to be on the field for every snap and get the ball a ton, he also knows the benefit of having someone in the fold who can legitimately keep him fresh over the course of a season. Jeanty got beat down far too much last year to be naïve to that fact.
Ceding, say, 100 carries to Washington this year won't stop the Raiders' RB1 from being among the league leaders in carries and touches again. And it sounds like Jeanty understands that and is fully on board, as long as he doesn't get taken off the field too much.
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