Questions are swirling online over whether 1. Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty is playing hurt and 2. Whether the Raiders should sit him and let him rest for a game.
Before the start of the season, Jeanty sustained an ankle injury on August 23rd. That didn’t stop him from playing since Week 1, but a foot injury popped up before Week 5’s loss to the New England Patriots, and still played.
“He’s a really tough guy,” head coach Klint Kubiak said regarding Jeanty. When asked if the Raiders had any internal discussions about potentially resting him a week, Kubiak responded with “He’s playing.”
Well, should Jeanty play? Or should they give him a week to rest?
Ashton Jeanty Comments on His Health, but Should the Raiders Still Rest Him?
Ahead of the matchup against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Ashton Jeanty spoke with reporters on how he feels physically heading into Week 6.
“Yeah, I’d say so, for sure,” Jeanty said when asked if this is the best he’s felt this season. “I think anything you sustain some tackling that’s, you know, the ground you face and if you can overcome that and most likely you can play with it. If I know I can’t … of course you can sit out.”
Of course you’d always want your star players to be on the field, but it’s also better to have your star players 100% healthy so they can perform at their best.
Jeanty, through five weeks, has just 88 carries for 291 yards (3.3 AVG) and zero touchdowns on the ground with 22 catches for 215 yards and two touchdowns through the air.
“Is playing an injured Jeanty what’s best for the Raiders and those teammates?” Sam Warren of The Athletic wrote. “Jeanty leads a Raiders’ backfield that’s averaging an NFL-worst 3.0 yards per carry and is bottom five in rushing yards per game (82.0), rushing EPA (-29.7) and rushing success rate (30.8 percent). The struggles raise the question of whether letting Jeanty rest would bring more success to their running attack in the long term, and possibly even the short term.”
Former Raiders RB Offers to Join Team If Jeanty Needs Rest
If Ashton Jeanty ends up thinking, ‘You know what, it’s probably best if I rest a week,’ former Raiders RB Raheem Mostert is saying he’d be available to come back to play for the Silver and Black again.
“I’m available,” Mostert said on ‘Just Football’ when the topic of Jeanty taking time off came up. “I’m available for a week. He needs to rest because he’s gonna be a catalyst for this offense.”
However, the Raiders should be just fine with rookie Mike Washington Jr. taking a majority of the snaps if Jeanty is out.
He has a ton of potential, yet had just one carry against the Patriots.
“He needs more opportunities, and that starts with me,” Kubiak said regarding Washington.
Raiders’ Ashton Jeanty Comments on Health Before Bills Matchup