Raiders' Addition of Ashton Jeanty Will Elevate Offensive Line

The addition of Ashton Jeanty has restored a level of lethal strike capabilities to the Raiders' offense not seen in years.

The Raiders had something back at the beginning of the decade with players like Darren Waller, Hunter Renfrow, Davante Adams, Josh Jacobs, and others. However it never worked out for various reasons.

Time has granted the Raiders another opportunity, and with a competent quarterback in Geno Smith at the helm and Chip Kelly calling plays, Jeanty has the ability to launch the Raiders into a golden new era.

Jeanty could be the greatest running back in franchise history. As a result, the Raiders' offensive line could be on the verge of a top five ranking.

The first thing Jeanty does is keep pass rushers at bay. That will help tackle Kolton Miller.

Kolton Miller benefits because edge players can no longer pin their ears back and rush the passer. Raiders head coach Pete Carroll has dedicated himself, along with Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly to running the football in the same way Carroll did with Marshawn Lynch in Seattle.

Kelly put together excellent run designs during his past seven seasons in college football. Zach Charbonnet had multiple 1,000-yard seasons, both TJ Harden and Carson Steele ran for over 800 yards each in 2023, and in 2024, TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins each had over 1,000 yards on the ground.

CBS Sports' Dave Richards compared Jeanty to Steven Jackson, a multi-time Pro Bowler for the then St. Louis Rams.

"Of course Jeanty will draw comparisons to former Boise State running back Jay Ajayi because they're both stocky with braids, but Jeanty is much more physically dominant than Ajayi," Richards wrote. "If anything, Jeanty is a more compact version of Steven Jackson, the Rams bruiser who had an eight-year run of over 1,000 rushing yards and 1,270 total yards per year.

"Jackson was awesome as a receiver -- and time will show that Jeanty is as well. He caught more than 40 passes as a junior and was a former high school receiver, so it's entirely realistic to see Jeanty become a capable pass-catcher in an NFL offense like Jackson. But moreover, Jeanty should quickly become the engine of a pro offense like Jackson was with the Rams -- hopefully with better touchdown fortune."

If Jeanty is able to emulate that level of production, he'll be a Hall of Famer.

Considering Jeanty's strengths, the interior offensive line should have a breakout performance, especially if Jackson Powers-Johnson continues to develop. At Oregon, Powers-Johnson was critical to Bucky Irving's growth and success as a player. Irving capped off his rookie year with Tampa Bay as a top ten rusher.

The shear fear Jeanty strikes into defenses should make them more conservative, more condensed, and more cautious. A defense not free to attack gives way to an offensive line implementing their will on the opposition.

That's why the Raiders could have a top offensive line in 2025.

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