After having the worst running game in the NFL last season, the Las Vegas Raiders decided to overhaul their running back room. That means Ameer Abdullah wasn’t brought back.
He spent the last three seasons in Las Vegas and was typically the team’s third-down back. Head coach Pete Carroll decided against bringing him back this offseason.
This led to him signing with the San Francisco 49ers, but that pairing didn’t last long. He was let go during the cut to 53 players.
Luckily, the 32-year-old running back isn’t done yet. The Indianapolis Colts announced that they have signed Abdullah to their practice squad.
Abdullah is getting older, but he proved last season that he’s still a productive player. He averaged 4.7 rushing yards per carry and had 40 catches. He is an effective third-down running back.
The Colts had a dominant win in Week 1, and Jonathan Taylor is still one of the better running backs in the NFL. They wouldn’t need Abdullah to play significant snaps. If he’s able to move to the active roster, he provides value in the passing game. At the very least, he’s a good veteran to have around, as the Raiders were big fans of him before moving on this offseason.
Raiders Run Game Struggles in Week 1
In an effort to avoid having the worst running game in the NFL for the second year in a row, the Raiders decided to use the No. 6 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to select running back Ashton Jeanty. The move didn’t make much of a difference in Week 1.
The Raiders ran the ball 24 times for 56 yards, which is an average of 2.3 yards per carry. Jeanty was frequently met at the line of scrimmage by defenders as the offensive line struggled to block.
Now, the team doesn’t need to panic yet. The New England Patriots have a strong front, and the Raiders’ offensive line is a work in progress. That said, if the team wants to keep winning, they need to figure out how to get Jeanty in the open field more often.
Raiders OL Needs More Time
The Raiders do have the potential to be a very good running team. There is talent on the offensive line, and Jeanty is a dynamic rusher.
Head coach Pete Carroll believes the group just needs more time to work.
“The guys haven’t played very much together, you know, we haven’t in real games,” Carroll said on Monday. “The (preseason) games helped us some, the practice against the Niners helped us some, but these games will help us get better.”
The Raiders’ offensive line did get better as the season went on last year. That said, this is mostly the same group from last season, so they should have some rapport with each other.
The group gave up too many sacks and didn’t open up enough holes for the running backs. If that doesn’t get better, it’s going to be a major problem for the Raiders’ offense going forward. At this point, they have to hope that the guys they have can improve.
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