REPORT: Is Help on the Way for Raiders' Ground Game?

The Las Vegas Raiders went from having the National Football League's leading rusher to having one of the worst rushing attacks in the NFL the next season with the same running back in the backfield after he held out for the entire offseason. Running back Josh Jacobs' holdout two summers ago was the first thing that went wrong for the Raiders' ground game after he led the league in rushing.

Jacobs returned to the lineup to play with a new quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo, adding to the difficulty of trying to play an NFL season while missing all of training camp. The Raiders struggled to run the ball in Jacobs' last season with the team and did so again the following season with a running back-by-committee approach.

Jacobs played the majority of the Raiders' games last season, and the Raiders had one of the worst rushing attacks in the league. This season, the Raiders also had one of the worst rushing attacks in the league.

Although the Raiders could use a quarterback, and a competent quarterback could take some of the pressure off the Raiders' running backs, Las Vegas needs to add to its group of running backs just as much as it needs to add to its quarterback room. This is especially true considering veteran running backs Ameer Abdullah and Alexander Mattison are set to become free agents this offseason.

Mason Cameron of Pro Football Focus believes the Raiders will use the offseason to improve their roster on both sides. Specifically, Cameron thinks the Raiders will add a veteran running back to their roster this summer via free agency.

"With Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly at the helm for the Raiders, the expectation is that a renewed focus on the running game will become a priority this offseason," Cameron said. "During his single season at Ohio State, Kelly headed one of college football's top-graded rushing offenses (92.2, fourth in the Power Four).

"Bringing in Alexander Mattison on a one-year deal was a failed experiment, and Zamir White was largely ineffective in 2024. Although Sincere McCormick showed some flashes down the stretch, he is far from a face to build around. Adding a consistent veteran like Aaron Jones, who has never recorded a PFF rushing grade below 76.5 in a season, would be just a drop in the bucket of Vegas’ $92 million in cap space."

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