The Las Vegas Raiders had plenty of decisions to make regarding their final 53-man roster. First-year head coach Pete Carroll preached the importance of competition throughout training camp, opening the door for several players to steal a roster spot.
One key position that was up in the air ahead of Tuesday's cutdown day was the running back room. While sixth overall pick Ashton Jeanty was an obvious lock for a roster spot, there were five players battling for three spots behind him.
Zamir White, Raheem Mostert, Dylan Laube, Sincere McCormick and Chris Collier all entered training camp with something the prove and the opportunity to earn a roster spot. White made the decision a lot easier for the Raiders coaching staff after he had a strong preseason.
Zamir White's preseason performance made Raiders' decision between two fan favorites easier
White's Raider tenure has been up-and-down. He received just 17 carries as a rookie, finishing with 70 yards. The fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft was sparingly used over the first 13 games of his sophomore season, recording 54 rushing yards on 20 carries and 38 receiving yards on six receptions.
He stepped into a starting job over the final four games following a late-season injury to Josh Jacobs. White starred in the role as he finished the season strong with 397 rushing yards and one touchdown on 84 carries, adding nine receptions for 60 yards.
His play down the stretch was enough for the franchise to allow Jacobs to walk in free agency; however, the move backfired. Jacobs went on to set a career-high in rushing touchdowns with the Green Bay Packers while posting the second-highest rushing yards total of his career and earning his third Pro Bowl appearance.
Meanwhile, White struggled to stay healthy in Las Vegas and hardly produced when he was on the field. He appeared in just eight games, recording 183 rushing yards and one touchdown on 65 carries, while adding six receptions for 30 yards.
RELATED: Raiders just took a gamble that may come back to bite them
Many expected his Raiders tenure to come to an end; however, he has made the final 53-man roster, along with Jeanty, Mostert and Laube. Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal noted that White's bounce-back preseason may have made the decision to roster Laube over McCormick easier.
"Zamir White's re-emergence helped set the back of the @Raiders RB room," Bonsignore wrote. "Made the decision to keep Dylan Laube (special teams) over Sincere McCormick easier to make."
McCormick outperformed Laube, who fumbled on his only carry, in 2024. His late-season surge made him a fan favorite, much like White's did the year prior. However, that has not been the case in the preseason.
Laube, who has also been a fan favorite since his arrival, posted 4.2 yards per carry and caught a touchdown pass, while McCormick posted just 2.9 yards per carry. Meanwhile, White had a strong showing in the preseason finale as he ran for 42 yards on nine carries.
With Jeanty, Mostert and White locked in as the top-three running backs on the roster, the coaching staff's decision for the fourth roster spot was much easier. Laube's ability to contribute on special teams, which he displayed last year and in the preseason, earned him a spot on the initial 53-man team.