There’s just one more game left for the Las Vegas Raiders before they can put this season to bed. It’s been a rough year but there have been some standouts. Running back Josh Jacobs has been the biggest pleasant surprise. It looked like his tenure with the Raiders could be ending after the team declined his fifth-year option and drafted Zamir White.
Jacobs responded by having the best season of his career and should win the NFL’s rushing title. While he’s proven his value to the Raiders, paying running back good money has fallen out of fashion. The team is very high on White but he hasn’t had much of a chance to show what he can do. Jacobs could be playing his last game as a Raider on Saturday against the Kansas City Chiefs. Based on what he thinks of White, the team could be in good hands if they have to make a change.
“Z is very, very athletic,” Jacobs said last week, via The Athletic. “He is a very raw talent. He has all the attributes that you look for in a great runner, whether it’s running or catching or even blocking. He has power, speed, everything. For me, the only thing I can help him with is compartmentalizing the playbook and doing certain things like, ‘Why are we doing this?’ or, ‘Why are you setting up the run that way?’ How to not only rely on his God-given abilities but also to use his mind.
“That’s all I can help him with because he is going to be a great back in this league. … It’s going to be interesting to see how we use him in the future.”
Josh McDaniels Explains Why White Hasn’t Played Much
White has been Jacobs’ primary backup for much of the season but has only carried the ball 16 times. That’s not a referendum on his performance but more of a testament to how durable Jacobs has been. Head coach Josh McDaniels essentially said that Jacobs is the reason why White hasn’t played much.
“Zamir’s time is going to come, but we got a guy that’s really running well,” McDaniels said. “And one of the unique things about Josh Jacobs is you never seen him do this (tap helmet for substitution), and I think that’s a tribute to the kid and how much he loves football, how hard he competes on a play-after-play basis.
“Zamir is ready to go. So, Josh has got to open the door and say come on in and take a couple reps off me, and he hasn’t done that a whole lot.”
Josh Jacobs has had a career yr, and he’s been set up with a well-schemed run game
They’ll mix up the looks, but they want to get downhill with pulling OL or a FB leading on zone and iso runs.
Jacobs has embraced the physicality that the scheme naturally asks of his position
What the Raiders’ Backfield Will Look Like Next Year?
Just a few months ago, it looked like Jacobs was going to be playing his final year with the Raiders. That may no longer be the case. He’s simply too good to just let walk in free agency. At the very least, the Raiders will need to franchise tag him and consider trading him.
That said, they would be wise to try and keep him. White could be a star in the making but it’s hard to imagine he’s better than Jacobs. The young running back dealt with injury issues in college and his rookie season. Jacobs might be the best running back in the NFL. A tandem of Jacobs and White next season could be elite if that’s what the Raiders decide to go with.
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Josh Jacobs Sends Message to Zamir White as Possible Last Game as Raider Looms