How Will Raiders Split Up RB Carries?

The Las Vegas Raiders have decisions to make in their running back room.

Sep 17, 2023; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Las Vegas Raiders running back Zamir White (35) carries / Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

The Las Vegas Raiders made some tweaks to their running back room this offseason. 

The Raiders will begin OTAs next week, and the preseason will be here in just a few months. 

Coach Antonio Pierce and Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy will have the chance to evaluate their running backs and determine who will earn the most snaps. 

Zamir White, who is entering his third season with the Silver and Black, will be the starting running back for the first time in his career. Josh Jacobs’ injury opened that door for him last season, and his departure to the Green Bay Packers allows him to fully take the reins. 

White will likely get the bulk of the carries, as he earned 84 of them in the Raiders’ last four games of 2023. He proved he could be a bell-cow back and will now have the opportunity to do it over an entire season. 

Behind White, however, who will earn snaps as the Raiders’ RB2? There are plenty of qualified candidates who can fill that role. 

The most obvious choice is Alexander Mattison. Mattison spent five seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, rushing for 2,370 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also caught 100 passes for 718 yards and six touchdowns. 

Mattison’s ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and the fact he will be 26 years old when the season starts could give him the edge over the next two running backs we will discuss. 

The next candidate is veteran Ameer Abdullah. Abdullah was a solid presence in the backfield and on special teams for the Raiders last season, so they brought him back for 2024. He likely won’t out-snap White or Mattison, but he could spell those two occasionally. 

The one wild card could be rookie Dylan Laube. Laube did some exciting things at New Hampshire as a runner and a receiver, so if those translate to the NFL, he could give himself a real shot at earning serious snaps. 

Getsy’s Chicago Bears teams had three players in 2022 with at least 129 rush attempts and three in 2023 with at least 109. Will his Raiders pound the rock this hard?

The Raiders will evaluate their backs over the next couple of months. Once the season begins, it will be worth watching how they split up the carries.

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