How Does Jacobs' Return Affect Raiders' RB Room?

Las Vegas Raiders star running back Josh Jacobs has ended his holdout and will return to the team.

After agreeing to a new deal, Jacobs, who led the NFL in rushing yards last season, will be back to give the Raiders’ offense a massive jolt.

With new quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo also in the fold, a quarterback who will be able to thrive in Coach Josh McDaniels’ system, the offense could operate at an incredibly high level.

While it is great for the Raiders to have Jacobs back with the team, it also means there will not be room for other running backs on the roster.

Our Hondo S. Carpenter Sr. projected the Raiders’ 53-man roster last week, with four running backs -- and fullback Jakob Johnson -- making the team. Those players are Jacobs, Zamir White, Ameer Abdullah and Brandon Bolden.

This means second-year man Sincere McCormick would not be included on the 53-man roster. McCormick was an undrafted free agent out of University of Texas-San Antonio during the 2022 NFL Draft, and tore his ACL before he could play in a game his rookie season.

Jacobs’ return possibly puts McCormick’s roster spot in jeopardy. He played well during the preseason, rushing 15 times for 57 yards and a touchdown, also adding two receptions for three yards and a touchdown. If McCormick does not make the roster, he could either be placed on the practice squad or be allowed to sign with another team.

White might be impacted the most by Jacobs’ return, as he was in line to receive a larger workload in his second season. He is still expected to see the field more often in 2023 than he did in his rookie season, but it may not be to the level he had hoped.

McDaniels has often utilized a running back-by-committee approach in the past, but he did not have to do so last season with Jacobs having the excellent season that he did. The coach could opt to return to that philosophy this season with an improved White, along with veterans like Abdullah and Bolden, in order to keep Jacobs fresh.

Jacobs will be a breath of fresh air for the Raiders’ offense. If White can make a year two leap and the veterans can produce like they are expected to, the Raiders’ rushing attack should be lethal.

The Silver and Black open the regular season at the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Sept. 10, at 4:25 p.m. EDT/1:25 p.m. PDT.

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