Dylan Laube's experience through two NFL seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders hasn't been atypical for the young players who have recently come through the building. A talented and promising draftee whose impact has been ultimately minimized by years of structural incompetence in the organization.
But with new head coach Klint Kubiak and his staff comes an air of credibility and the best reason yet to believe that things will soon be different for the Silver and Black. And with that comes a new lease on life for incumbent players like Laube, who are clearly capable of making larger contributions.
Thanks to Graphk Raider, Just Blog Baby recently had the privilege of interviewing Laube ahead of his third NFL season. He spoke at length about not only his stuttering journey, but also how he is relishing the chance to work under Kubiak and new special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis.
It just feels like Laube's breakout year is coming, and after hearing him talk, it is easy to understand why.
Las Vegas Raiders RB Dylan Laube is already loving the Klint Kubiak era and all that comes with it
When Kubiak accepted the Raiders' head coaching job following his Super Bowl victory with the Seattle Seahawks, he had a lot of work to do. Not only did Kubiak need to get comfortable in a new city and building and hire a staff, but he had to figure out the roster and learn endless new names.
Fortunately for him, he already knew one well: Dylan Laube. During the 2024 pre-draft process, the New Hampshire product's first-ever 30 visit was with Kubiak, who was then the offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints. The two immediately hit it off.
“He actually called everyone (after accepting the job), but then he had a personal conversation with everyone in the offseason," Laube said of Kubiak. "And we were just talking, and he brought up my Saints visit, too. He was like ‘Man, we wanted you then.’ And of course, he remembered my time at New Hampshire. He just knows what type of player I am; he knows that I’m a utility guy. Which, that’s all I want is a chance to use my skill set, not just on special teams, but in the pass game, as a receiver, as a running back."
After ranking at or near the bottom of the league in practically every statistical category last year, John Spytek held out for Kubiak during the hiring cycle. That patience was rewarded in spades when he agreed to come to Las Vegas, bringing with him what Laube claims to be "unbelievable" offense.
And the Raiders' new head man is dead serious about the work.
“You see the offenses he’s been a part of, with the Seahawks, their offense was unbelievable last year," Laube said. "Talking to him, and his father, too, being a Hall of Fame coach, an unbelievable coach, [Klint Kubiak] just knows so much about the game. He’s a young coach, but at the same time, these last few months or so, he’s all business. He’s so locked in. He’s so ready to change this culture and this organization, too. It’s going to be a really fun year. He uses three or four backs. He’s just a fast-paced tempo (coach), and just seeing this offense, it’s going to be unbelievable. So, I’m super, super excited.”
Now, much has been made about Kubiak's offense, and Laube would clearly be the first to advocate for its effectiveness. But it is important not just to understand that the term "outside zone" exists, but rather, how central it is to the entire operation currently being installed in Las Vegas.
“The difference between (this and) the last couple of offenses is that the foundation starts with outside zone," Laube said. "The past offenses, one of our main schemes was outside zone. But our main premise, and damn near what we’re going to run, is outside zone. That’s going to be who we are. If you watch any of his offenses, it’s been outside zone, outside zone. Different types of outside zone. Because he truly believes outside zone sets up the pass game, different types of runs, the screen game. He believes that if we can control the game through outside zone, it parachutes everything else and accelerates the rest of the pass game and the run game. So, it’s going to be cool to see."
It's certainly one thing to preach something. And Raiders fans have been attending every coach's metaphorical church for as long as they can remember, but with no deliverance. But Kubiak, again, is all about the work. And he didn't really do much else with the offense in the offseason program.
"We’ve only been running outside zone this past month and a half,” Laube joked.
With OTAs now underway, however, Raider Nation should expect to hear and see more about this heralded offense that has made its way to Las Vegas. But Laube gave fans a peek behind the curtain of what this scheme is all about, and how he fits into it, before getting to see it on TV this fall.
“Outside zone is a very unique run game because it just gets the whole defense flowing, and that’s your main goal," Laube explained. "If the backers flow over the top, you’re bending back and probably going to hit it up the A gap. But if they stay and the O-line gets up to the backers, you’re hitting it outside. I’m a pretty fast guy, so I think my skill set would be very, very useful in that because I can hit the edge and go. But also, that outside zone is going to set me up for the screen game, for the pass game. We can go empty, and teams think ‘He’s just an empty personnel guy,’ and then they put me in the backfield, and I run outside zone.”
Laube's multi-faceted skill set can be a massive benefit in what has been an ever-changing landscape of the Las Vegas offense. But the new scheme might actually be tailor-made for him, as he earned his degree in the outside zone at New Hampshire.
“Even in college, too, you watch my tape, outside zone has always been my best play because hitting the edge and just running by guys has always been my best asset,” Laube said. “It’s the foundation play, and I’ve run it my whole life. I think I consider myself a pretty quick guy, so I’m going to be very useful in this offense.”
Of course, for a player like Laube, offense is just a part of the puzzle. He won't out-compete Ashton Jeanty for reps in the running back room, so while he is battling to be a complementary piece in the backfield, he is making his presence known on special teams.
“Most of the time, there’s one running back on the field, and plus, we drafted that first-round guy, which is their big investment, and Deuce (Ashton Jeanty) is an unbelievable player, so he’s our main guy. But you never know what happens, so you always need backs."
While it is true that teams can never have enough good running backs to hand the ball off to or employ in a variety of ways, it may be lost on some fans exactly why that is. Laube has a very good explanation for what seems like a mundane fact or simply an old adage of the game.
"What a mentor told me before is that running backs are the most useful guys on a team, besides a QB, of course, and maybe an (offensive) tackle," Laube laughed. "You’re a running back, you’re a lineman, you’re a receiver. You need as many running backs as you can, because our build is specialized for special teams, because we can play any position."
A common misconception, however, is that playing special teams merely equates to having kick or punt return duties. But there is an entire world out there for football fans to explore in the often-forgotten third facet of the game, which Laube took the time to explain.
"If you watch my tape on special teams. I’ve played every single position, from gunner to a vice on a gunner, which I’ve never played DB in my life. I’ve been a returner, I’ve blocked defensive ends, I’ve been on kickoff, I’ve made tackles," Laube explained. "Who I am as a player, I’m trying to earn spots as a running back, but I know I’m going to be one of our main special teams guys. I’ve always embraced that, and now, just me looking as a guy that’s going to be a leader on special teams, it’s going to be super important."
That prowess on special teams, of course, began during his time as a Wildcat.
“Even my whole career, even in college, I was a special teams guy," Laube noted. "Of course, I was the main running back too, but I was a kick returner, I was a punt returner, I was a gunner, I was a guard on punt, I was on kickoff. I’ve played everything. And I knew if I wanted a chance in the NFL, I’m gonna have to play special teams.
“Especially in this new era of kickoff and kickoff return with those new rules, if you’re on kickoff or kick return, you get an average of 150 plays a year because they’re keeping those plays alive. Let’s say I get an extra 10 tackles; that’s huge. It’s just super important now, special teams. Super, super important. It’s always been super important, but now it’s crucial because every play is live now.”
And while special teams are of the utmost importance, especially lately, showing your stuff in that aspect of the game can have a nice payoff for a player battling for reps in his position room, as Laube made mention of.
“And you also know, too, if you make plays on special teams, they give you more chances on offense," Laube said.
Laube, like any professional football player, is looking to make his mark. Being a great running back for the Raiders would surely be a dream come true. But to Laube, who has played on some struggling teams in Las Vegas, it means a bit more than that.
"At the end of the day, man, I’m just trying to help this team win," Laube said. "These last two years, I’ve won 7 games in 34 games. It’s been a tough go, so I’m just trying to help the team win in any way possible.”
It sounds like Laube is finally playing for a coach who fully recognizes his talents, and that can go a long way for a young player's confidence. Not to mention the fact that he has experience in the offensive scheme that Kubiak has brought to the Silver and Black.
At the end of the day, Laube is looking to make an impact in any way that he can. Luckily, his versatile repertoire of tools will give him a leg up, whether he's running outside zone, catching screens or a pass out of the backfield, returning or covering kicks, or filling endless other roles on special teams.
Raider Nation has always held out hope that Laube could transform into something special for this franchise. But perhaps a transformation wasn't needed. Maybe he just needed to fall into a situation that suited him. Thankfully, it seems like Kubiak has provided that.
And Laube is relishing in it, as he should.
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