Raiders Backfield Still Respected

With trading for wide receiver Davante Adams, fans and analysts have been imagining all the different ways the Las Vegas Raiders will be able to attack teams through the air.

One aspect of their offense that might not be getting talked about as much is their running game, which struggled a bit last season.

Despite that lesser production, the overall talent that the Raiders have in their running back room is still significant enough to play a major factor this upcoming season.

Writer Ben Linsey of Pro Football Focus thinks so, ranking the Raiders' backfield as the 12th best in the NFL in a recent ranking of running back units around the league.

The buck starts, of course, with Pro Bowler Josh Jacobs, who will have something to prove going into the last year of his rookie contract.

Jacobs dealt with injuries last season, but with two 1,000-yard seasons on his resume and a solid track record of being among the most elusive backs in the NFL, it won't be surprising to see him rebound in 2022.

Behind Jacobs, veteran Kenyan Drake wasn't able to form the one-two punch with Jacobs as expected, only having 254 rushing yards in 12 games.

Drake did earn a high PFF grade for his receiving skills (30 catches for 291 yards), and with renewed health, could provide more of an explosive presence on the ground.

One player who should provide more explosiveness is rookie Zamir White, who averaged 5.3 yards per carry for his career in college for the Georgia Bulldogs

White probably won't get a ton of reps with Jacobs and Drake both having established roles, but White has the talent to force his way onto the field.

This combination of a talented starter and good depth has Linsey ranking the Raiders as high as he did.

One aspect that could help the Raiders running game a lot is the aforementioned trade for Adams and the Raiders' upgraded passing game.

With so much Pro Bowl-caliber talent at wide receiver, the Raiders shouldn't see many defenses stack the box, and that can lead to wide-open lanes for Jacobs and company to exploit.

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