The Las Vegas Raiders didn't take Ashton Jeanty sixth overall last April without a plan to make him their workhorse running back. That came to fruition, as he finished seventh in the league in carries and sixth in total touches.
Had the Raiders' offense been more proficient, those numbers would have been even higher, as Jeanty had five games with 11 or fewer carries. But still, Jeanty accounted for 72.1 percent of the Raiders' rushing attempts this season, as expected.
Quarterback Geno Smith was second on the team with 41 attempts, and wide receiver Tre Tucker had 11 carries. Running backs other than Jeanty (Raheem Mostert, Zamir White and Dylan Laube) combined for 41 carries.
Jeanty will remain a focal point of the Raiders' offense. But with the expectation that things can only improve moving forward, finding someone who can ease Jeanty's workload at times should be on the radar. Mostert and White will be gone this offseason, and Laube isn't likely to take on that kind of role.
Trade idea offers David Montgomery as Ashton Jeanty complement
In his early mock offseason plan for the Detroit Lions, Mike Payton of AtoZ Sports proposed a trade idea involving the Raiders, in which Detroit would send veteran running back David Montgomery to Las Vegas.
"Montgomery can both play that Knuckles role and that big brother role with a young Ashton Jeanty in Las Vegas," Payton wrote. "The Raiders would probably love to establish Fernando Mendoza’s run game in 2026, and having this dual-back system would work for sure. The Lions get a 2026 fifth-round pick in return."
During his first two seasons with the Lions, Montgomery had a key role sharing the backfield work with Jahmyr Gibbs. This season, despite head coach Dan Campbell publicly declaring a desire to fix it (and calling the offensive plays from Week 10 on), Montgomery had a career low in touches.
Montgomery's lack of work was more about how good Gibbs was than anything else. According to Next Gen Stats, Montgomery was 11th in Rushing Yards Over Expectation Per Attempt among running backs with a minimum of 90 carries.
He achieved this while also facing the fifth-highest rate of eight-plus defenders in the box among that same group. So, while he'll turn 29 in June, which is typically considered to be over the hill for a running back, Montgomery has plenty left in the tank.
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During his season-ending press conference, Lions general manager Brad Holmes was asked, point-blank, whether or not he expected Montgomery to be back in Detroit for the 2026 NFL season. He didn't exactly say yes.
"Obviously, I know it was a tough year for him in terms of the lack of touches. I'm not going to say I went into it planning for it to be that way. So, those are discussions that we're going to have to have a lot more depth in terms of, what's the best plan for him moving forward," Holmes said. "Is that somewhere else, or whatever the case may be? I really appreciate everything he's done for us, if it does go that way, but I hope it doesn't. We love David Montgomery. Those are conversations we're gonna have. I have a lot of respect for that player."
It sounds like Holmes at least expects Montgomery to ask for a trade, though it's worth wondering how the choice of Drew Petzing as the new offensive coordinator impacts that idea. But Montgomery would surely like an opportunity to contribute more, and that may no longer be in a Lions uniform.
To be frank, Montgomery probably wouldn't find more work than he had with the Lions this season next year in Las Vegas. But what could easily happen is a more consistent workload, not 104 carries over nine games followed by 54 carries over the next eight contests.
If Montgomery can legitimately take some wear-and-tear off Jeanty in a more proficient offense that will run more plays next season, that's all the Raiders would need. A fifth-round pick is a reasonable price to create the Silver and Black version of "Sonic and Knuckles," if it can be done.