The Las Vegas Raiders had a hot start to the Pete Carroll and John Spytek era, as they went on the road to beat the New England Patriots 20-13 on opening weekend in a well-rounded effort. The game was far from perfect, but they showed incredible promise.
Unfortunately, the last two weeks have been a bit disastrous, as the offense folded against the Los Angeles Chargers in a primetime Week 2 matchup, and the defense crumbled against the Marcus Mariota-led Washington Commanders in Week 3.
While the defense's poor performance was hopefully a one-off, the offense has struggled all season. In particular, the rushing attack has been abysmal, which has been hindered largely by poor offensive line play. The unit needs a jolt, and Carroll finally made a change ahead of Week 4.
Pete Carroll makes Raheem Mostert active in place of Zamir White
This offseason, the Raiders went out and signed veteran running back Raheem Mostert to be a solid backup for whoever the team grabs in the draft. That ended up being Ashton Jeanty, who was expected to be a workhorse right away, but Mostert was still likely to have a role.
In the preseason, however, it seemed like the new regime started falling for Zamir White, whom Raider Nation has pretty negative feelings toward. After a strong four-game stint in 2023, White flopped as the starting running back in 2024, mustering just 183 yards in eight games.
Despite outplaying White in the preseason, however, the team opted to make Mostert a healthy scratch for the first three games of the 2025 NFL season. For Week 4, though, Carroll decided to flip the script and make White inactive, meaning Mostert will make his Raiders debut.
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On Sunday, Las Vegas welcomes the Chicago Bears to Allegiant Stadium, whose run defense is among the worst in the league. This could be a prime opportunity for Jeanty and the offensive line to gain some momentum, but also for Mostert to assert himself as a solid option for the offense.
Just two years ago, Mostert was a Pro Bowler for the Miami Dolphins and led the NFL in rushing touchdowns. Running backs can definitely fall off a metaphorical cliff in their careers, but it did not seem like that was the case with Mostert, who played well in an injury-riddled campaign last year.
White mustered just 25 yards on the ground on 10 carries through the first three games, which averages out to just 2.5 yards per carry. Surely, Mostert can do better than this, and if he does, Raider Nation will be both thrilled but also left wondering why Carroll didn't make this decision sooner.
The Raiders' other inactives include Michael Mayer, who is sidelined with a concussion and Decamerion Richardson, who has been dealing with a hamstring injury. The following are healthy scratches: Charles Grant, Caleb Rogers, Leki Fotu, Tonka Hemingway.