Getty Former Las Vegas Raiders RB Trey Ragas.
The Las Vegas Raiders have a stacked running back room right now. The team has added players in both free agency and the draft, which means that some returning players will be shown the door. There’s still a lot of time before training camp so the team doesn’t need to make a lot of decisions yet.
However, they’ve already decided that one running back wasn’t going to make the team. The Raiders announced that they have waived Trey Ragas.
Ragas signed with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent last year after playing college ball at Louisiana. He spent most of the season on the practice squad but did get a chance to be on the active roster for one game against the Kansas City Chiefs. In that game, he had one carry for nine yards. Ragas was brought in under head coach Jon Gruden so he was always going to be one of the odd men out once Josh McDaniels started bringing in other running backs.
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Zamir White Could Compete for Starting Spot Soon
Ragas is the first domino to fall but there will be more running back cuts as the Raiders can’t feasibly have more than four running backs on the roster. Josh Jacobs is the projected starter due to his status as a former Pro Bowler and first-round pick. He’s proven to be one of the best running backs in the NFL when he can stay healthy.
However, the Raiders’ decision to draft Georgia’s Zamir White in the fourth round can’t be overlooked. In fact, Vic Tafur of The Athletic believes that White could take over as the full-time starter by 2023:
(White) can sidestep tackles or run through them and has the home-run speed to take it to the house. The Raiders took him in the fourth round a day after they declined to pick up the fifth-year option on Josh Jacobs’ contract. GM Dave Ziegler was schooled in the Patriots’ way, and they don’t believe in paying running backs much. So, there is a good chance White is the Raiders’ starting RB in 2023.
Does Jacobs Have a Future in Las Vegas?
After McDaniels took the Raiders job, he had a lot of praise for Jacobs. He’s a very good running back and plays really hard. As Tafur noted, McDaniels comes from the New England Patriots and they don’t like to pay running backs. That approach worked for them as they won multiple Super Bowls.
That said, it’s too early to say that Jacobs has no future in Las Vegas. Running backs aren’t getting paid by teams right now so it’s possible that nobody offers him a better deal than what the Raiders could after his contract expires in 2023. Unless White is a complete stud, it would be a mistake to discount Jacobs so early. He’s only 24 years old and should have plenty left in the tank if he can get his body right.
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