For all the issues the Las Vegas Raiders have, there are talented pieces for new head coach Klint Kubiak to work with, including Ashton Jeanty.
The rookie running back had a challenging rookie season for the Raiders. However, it wasn’t Jeanty’s doing, since former offensive coordinator Chip Kelly changed his stance, and the team’s offensive line wasn’t any good.
Still, Jeanty did record 1,321 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns during the 2025 NFL season, per StatMuse. During his introduction press conference as the Raiders head coach, former Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak didn’t hold back his thoughts on Jeanty heading into next season.
“Very excited about [Jeanty’s] skill set and what he brings,“ Kubiak said about Jeanty. “I’ve got a lot of tape to catch up on. I saw him play a lot of snaps at Boise [State]. Very excited about his talent. The thing I would tell him and all his teammates is that it’s not just about one guy.
“We’ve got to get the line on the same page; we’ve got to get our quarterback to get the right run checks. We’ve got to get our receivers to go block for him so that we can get the play action going. But as soon as our players can realize it’s a team thing and not an individual thing, we’re going to be successful.”
The main question many will be waiting to see is who Kubiak hires as offensive line coach. If the new Raiders head coach gets that hire right, then it could mean a promising 2026 season for Jeanty.
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If Jeanty was able to produce over 1,000 yards despite what was stacked against him, there’s no telling what he can do with an improved offensive line and play caller who won’t change his stance.
Moreover, former NFL running back Maurice Jones-Drew shared how the Raiders should be using Jeanty next season.
“You have to find a way to find a coach that’s creative enough to get him in space and to get him running like Christian McCaffrey does, like Kyle Shannon does with Christian McCaffrey,“ Jones-Drew said on the Jan. 23 edition of “89 with Steve Smith and James Palmer.”
“So to me, that type of offense with that type of usage where he’s up at wide receiver, he’s in the backfield, he’s motioning, all this creativity stuff. Oh, he would excel in that.”
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Furthermore, Jones-Drew defended the Raiders for selecting Jeanty where they did in the 2025 NFL Draft, considering that if he can produce like the San Francisco 49ers’ star, it will be well worth the selection.
“I think he should have been a top five,“ Jones-Drew added. “He went at [No. 6]. So, I thought his talent was top five. But he’s a different player than [Jahmyr] Gibbs and Bijan [Robinson] and Saquon [Barkley].
“He’s not that type of guy, right? You have to understand his superpower is that he’s compact, right? He’s what, 5’8 [and] 215 [pounds], that’s imagine trying to get your arms around a guy like that whose legs are huge.”
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