A Closer Look at the Raiders' RB Room Ahead of the Draft

The Las Vegas Raiders offense in 2025 didn't know what it wanted to do with itself. With them taking Ashton Jeanty so high in the draft, the assumption was that Pete Carroll was going to run the ball with Chip Kelly as his offensive coordinator.

None of that pairing worked, and it resulted in a lost season for one of the best young running backs in the NFL right now. Klint Kubiak is getting Jeanty with a year's worth of tread on his tires. How does the Raiders running back room look now that John Spytek and Kubiak have had control in free agency together?

RB Room Overview

Jan 4, 2026; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) carries the ball against the Kansas City Chiefs in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It's important that I preface that this is not how their running back room looks when the new season kicks off. I believe Kubiak will want to draft a running back of his own to further help Jeanty in the run game. It's clear that's a big priority for him, as he managed to sign Connor Heyward away from the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Tyler Linderbaum may not be a running back, but he may as well be with how much he's going to change their success rate on runs. Jeanty consistently saw pressure seconds after he touched the ball. Giving him a rushing lane will help open up the field for him, and he can showcase why he was picked so highly in the first place.

Dylan Laube saw most of his value as a special teams player in 2025. I don't think Kubiak will want to go into next season with him as their primary backup due to a lack of starting experience in the NFL, but this could be a tremendous opportunity for him if those reps do open up.

The same can be said about Chris Collier, their third-string running back at the moment. He didn't register a snap last season, and I don't think either of them will be meaningful pieces in Kubiak's offense moving forward.

Depending on how the draft board falls, a player like Jadarian Price could be a target for them in the second or third round. He has real upside as a receiving back, and a combine which tanked his draft stock could result in the Raiders taking advantage of that.

Price would add even more explosiveness to their running back room, and could even form a duo with Jeanty as a shifty power back and Price as someone they use on screens or to leak out of the backfield on a wheel route.