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After two seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders, fullback Jakob Johnson is heading to the NFC East. The New York Giants announced on August 16 that they’ve signed the veteran to the roster.
Johnson, who is from Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, has been in the since 2019 when he was signed by the New England Patriots. He spent three seasons with the team before following former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to the Raiders when he was hired as head coach.
Not many coaches utilize fullbacks anymore so there aren’t as many capable ones coming into the NFL. Johnson is also listed as a tight end so it’s possible the Giants will use him in multiple roles. However, he’s not much of a receiver as he has 19 catches in five seasons. Johnson is reuniting with offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo, who was with the Raiders the last two seasons but moved to New York this offseason. The fullback started in 14 games combined during his tenure in Las Vegas.
Las Vegas Raiders Don’t Have FB This Season
Under McDaniels and former head coach Jon Gruden, the Raiders employed fullbacks. Gruden utilized Alec Ingold, who is more versatile and can make plays as a receiver while Johnson is essentially there to add extra protection.
Under new head coach Antonio Pierce and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, the Raiders have decided not to have a single fullback on the roster. This is more in lockstep with the majority of NFL teams. Only 12 teams used fullbacks on offensive snaps in 2023, according to ESPN.
While some offenses still have success using fullbacks, it’s becoming much rarer. Not having a fullback should allow the Raiders to carry an extra running back or tight end. Also, the team could utilize tight ends at the fullback position. Brock Bowers lined up at fullback for a play during the team’s first preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings. It’s unlikely that will be the last time he lines up in the backfield.
Las Vegas Raiders Planning 12-Personnel Base
The Raiders are planning to run a 12-personnel base offense in 2024, which uses one running back, two tight ends and two wide receivers. It’s rare for teams to run this as their base offense but Las Vegas has two very good young tight ends in Bowers and Michael Mayer.
The Athletic gave a breakdown of the team’s plans.
“The usage of 12 personnel isn’t uncommon — it was used on 19.3 percent of offensive snaps across the league in 2023, according to TruMedia — but it’s rare a team will rely on it as its base personnel grouping,” Tashan Reed and Ted Nguyen wrote in an August 14 column. “Since TruMedia began tracking this data in 2007, only five teams have used it on at least 50 percent of their offensive snaps, with the most recent being the 2021 Miami Dolphins. The Raiders are hopeful they’ll be able to use 12 to dictate the game plan for opposing defenses and manipulate matchups both in the pass and run game.”
Bowers and Mayer may simply be too talented to not have them on the field at the same time for the majority of the offensive snaps. It remains to be seen if this will be a recipe for success.
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