It hasn’t been the electric start to Ashton Jeanty’s NFL career that many were excited for. After a record-breaking career at Boise State, Jeanty was the highest-drafted running back since Saquon Barkley in 2018.
However, the Las Vegas Raiders haven’t been setting him up for success. In three games, Jeanty has 144 rushing yards and is averaging 3.1 yards per carry. That’s simply not good enough for a top-10 draft pick running back, but it doesn’t tell the whole story.
Jeanty may have 144 rushing yards, but he has 145 rushing yards after contact. That means he’s had to fight for every single yard he’s gained this season and then some.
144 total rushing yards 145 rushing yards after contact
While this is a good sign that Jeanty might still be the player people thought he was coming out of Boise State, it’s a very bad look for the Raiders‘ offensive line. They are not opening up any holes for Jeanty to rush through.
Anytime he gets a big run, it’s because he’s had to break tackles. His ability to break tackles is a big reason the Raiders drafted him, but he should get some easy runs, as well. Jeanty has proven he’s difficult to tackle, so if he can get in the open field more, then he should be far more effective.
Pete Carroll Talks OL
The Raiders‘ offensive line was decent toward the end of last season, so they decided to bring much of the same group back. However, they decided to switch things around by putting Jackson Powers-Johnson at right guard, Jordan Meredith at center and Dylan Parham at left guard.
In Week 3, the Raiders decided to start Alex Cappa over Powers-Johnson, who was coming off a concussion. Head coach Pete Carroll wants to get him more involved again and knows the group needs to be better.
“We want to see JPJ [Jackson Powers-Johnson] come back to action and get back involved,” Carroll told reporters on Monday. “In all phases of it, we have to get off the football better and make more of the running game. There’s not enough happening there to act on the play pass game, and we’re just not getting enough. So, we just got to keep working it. We got the guys we got, and we need to keep developing and keep building on it. We’re working at the right guard spot. Our young guys, they’ll get their turn sometime, but they’re not ready yet. So, we have what we have, and we’ve got to make our guys do better, and we’ve got to fit it together better than we have.”
Raiders Face Weak Bears Run Defense in Week 4
The Raiders host the Chicago Bears in Week 4, and both teams are 1-3. However, the Bears are coming off a convincing win over the Dallas Cowboys.
While the Chicago offense is starting to get on track, the defense still has issues. The Bears are allowing 139.3 rushing yards per game this season, which is sixth-worst in the NFL. If the Raiders can finally get the ball moving on the ground, that would open up a lot of things in their offense.
Wild Stat for Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty Is Turning Heads