It wasn't long into his tenure with the Las Vegas Raiders that Klint Kubiak told the world his intentions to find Ashton Jeanty "a wingman" who can share the load. But it wasn't long after that that the team's new leader walked back that statement, claiming he wants Jeanty on the field as much as possible.
Even Jeanty knows the benefit of having a capable player who can spell him at times, though. And by all accounts, that player would be fourth-round rookie Mike Washington Jr., who has big dreams of his own and came to Las Vegas with a solid skill set and an incredibly high ceiling for a Day 3 pick.
And it sounds like the first-year back is doing exactly what the coaching staff is asking of him so far at training camp, growing each day and impressing both his peers and the media. If he can translate this when the pads come on, then the Raiders may be forced to add a whole new element to their offense.
Kubiak might need to rethink his approach to the running back room again and find Washington Jr. a solid role alongside Jeanty.
Mike Washington Jr. is growing every day at Raiders training camp
Washington Jr. must have flown under the radar and looked impressive during the spring program, as even on the first day of training camp practices, ESPN's Ryan McFadden noted that the Day 3 rookie was taking reps with the first and second teams.
That is not insignificant, as Jeanty is still a young player who is learning a new system and needs reps. So, if Las Vegas is siphoning off some of his snaps for Washington Jr., then the Raiders' staff must be anticipating, or at least angling toward, the rookie getting some real run in the early going.
During the team's second training camp practice, Washington Jr. reportedly built on a strong opening day. According to Silver & Black Sports Network's Jesse Merrick, Washington Jr. impressed a lot of people watching during Thursday's session.
"Mike Washington, to me, is a guy that has popped a handful of times," Merrick said. "I found myself talking to a lot of folks about him today and a little yesterday."
In Las Vegas' third camp practice, Washington Jr. really started to shine. The Athletic's Sam Warren noted that the rookie back had a handful of good runs, including a touchdown during the red zone period. USA Today's Levi Damien fawned over his pass-catching, particularly one nice grab he made.
Momentum continues to build for the young player, day by day, and that is all that this coaching staff wants to see from its young contingent of players. Progress and competition are the name of the game in Las Vegas, so the Raiders' coaching staff and players must like what they are seeing.
Let's hear from them, actually.
Raiders' coaches and players lather praise on Mike Washington Jr.
When speaking with the media after the first training camp practice session, offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko fielded a question about what Washington Jr. can add to the run game. In typical fashion with this staff, the new OC focused on the process over results.
"Just want to see him get better every day," Janocko said. "He has a unique set of skills and talents. We want to maximize each guy's talents, put them in the best position based on their set of skills to help us win."
Based on the reports from Raiders HQ, it sounds like Washington Jr. is doing just that. But don't just take the media's word for it. Jeanty spoke to reporters after the second day of practices and gave his less experienced counterpart some serious praise.
“I mean, he's just getting better each and every single day," Jeanty told the media. "Obviously, he's got great burst, good footwork. He's continuing to get better each and every single day. I love what I'm seeing from him, and he's continuing to up the standard in the running back room and help make it a better room.”
Well, it sounds like Washington Jr. is delivering on what the coaches have ordered from him.
Of course, Kubiak isn't going to let things be sunshine and rainbows. His messaging has been quite clear this preseason, which is that good isn't good enough, that nobody should feel established. So, Kubiak's words may feel a bit harsh, but this is just the head coach pushing his players.
"Yeah, Mike is a rookie. A rookie back in the NFL is hard work, especially in the protection game. So we're giving him a ton of reps there, and just keep him growing," Kubiak explained. "It's a competition with Mike, with [Dylan] Laube, with Chris Collier. We have a lot of good backs here, and those guys also know they're always competing with the rest of the NFL's roster. It's not just our room, so just got to keep giving them reps and see who we can count on."
Collier, of course, was waived just hours after Kubiak made this statement, but UDFA Roman Hemby should also be in the mix. Las Vegas does have a solid young running back group, and while they could soon supplement it with a veteran, it sounds like Washington Jr. could remain the No. 2 guy.
No, the pads haven't come on yet, and the rookie needs to prove that he can thrive in pass protection and take care of the football. But Washington Jr. is doing all that he can with the cards that he's been dealt in training camp to prove that he's worthy of a role in this Raiders offense under Kubiak.
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