The Las Vegas Raiders had the worst rushing attack in the NFL last season, which led to them using the No. 6 pick to draft running back Ashton Jeanty this offseason. However, it has yet to pay off for the team.
The Raiders are averaging 62.0 rushing yards per game through two games, which is second-worst in the NFL. Las Vegas only handed the ball off to Jeanty 11 times in Week 2, which has been met with a lot of criticism by fans and pundits.
Jeanty is used to a high volume of carries, so this is a new issue for him to deal with. He reminded the Raiders that there was no reason to draft him so high if they weren’t going to give him the ball.
“I don’t think you draft a guy like me to not give me carries and touches,” Jeanty told reporters on Wednesday. “I’m ready for the responsibility … and it’s gonna start from me in the run game, and I gotta continue to get better.”
It’s just two games into his career, and the Raiders faced very tough run defenses. The Washington Commanders had the third-worst run defense in the NFL last season, so perhaps this could be the game for Jeanty to break out.
Pete Carroll Urges Patience With Jeanty
The Raiders were confident enough in Jeanty to not bring in any other notable running backs this offseason. In Week 2, the Raiders simply didn’t run the ball very much. Zamir White was the only other running back to get carries, and he had just two.
It’s no secret that head coach Pete Carroll wants to run the ball, which makes the Raiders’ pass-heavy attack surprising. According to Carroll, Las Vegas isn’t trying to rush Jeanty’s development.
“We’re just getting started (with Jeanty),” Carroll said. “He’s breaking into the NFL, figuring it out. … He’ll get more. That’ll come. We’re going to have to run the football better, more effectively. We’ve got to get more yards. … I’d like to see that just as well as you would.”
If the Raiders hope to make a playoff push this season, they’ll need Jeanty to be a factor going forward.
Raiders OL Continues to Struggle
Jeanty is only averaging 2.7 yards per carry this season, but he’s also getting hit almost as soon as he touches the ball. The Raiders’ offensive line is not playing very well right now.
Pro Football Focus rated them as the 28th-best group in the NFL right now.
“Raiders right guard Jackson Powers-Johnson was unable to suit up due to a concussion. Alex Cappa filled in and played all 70 snaps in the loss to the Chargers. He earned a 56.2 PFF overall grade,” Zoltan Buday wrote.
“Left guard Dylan Parham struggled in pass protection once again in Week 2. Over the first two weeks, Parham has allowed pressure on 11.8% of pass plays, the worst rate among all guards in the NFL.”
The Raiders’ offensive line should be better, considering the entire Week 1 lineup was with the team last season. Left tackle Kolton Miller has been solid, but the team needs all four other positions to improve drastically.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Ashton Jeanty Offers Raiders Stern Reminder After Lackluster Game appeared first on Heavy Sports.