In his first two NFL games, Las Vegas Raiders rookie running back Ashton Jeanty hasn’t yet hit 20 carries in a single matchup. He recorded 19 attempts in the Week 1 win over the New England Patriots but saw that number drop to just 11 against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2.
Jeanty also hasn’t rushed for more than 50 yards in a game this season, marking a challenging start to his NFL career. Addressing concerns about Jeanty’s limited usage, the Raiders’ offensive coordinator Chip Kelly outlined the team’s plan for their young running back.
“You would love for Ashton Jeanty to play every play,” Kelly said while speaking to the media on September 18 (h/t Nick Walters of KTNV). “You have to be conscious of, over the course of 17 games, if somebody is carrying the ball 30 times a game, they only have so many carries in a season. If you’re using them early, it’ll hurt you late.”
Raiders Have a Plan for Ashton Jeanty
Kelly’s remarks align with what Raiders head coach Pete Carroll recently stated, as the coaching staff wants to ease Jeanty into life as a running back in the NFL.
As a result, Carroll brushed off concerns about the running game after the opening two weeks. Speaking to reporters following the September 15 loss to the Chargers, Carroll was asked directly about Aston Jeanty’s performance.
“We’re just getting started,” Carroll said postgame. “He’s breaking into the NFL. He’s figuring it out. When he had 11 or something carries, he’s already had 11. He’ll get more. That’ll come. We’re going to have to run the football better than we did, more effectively.
“We got to get more yards; we have 50 or 60 yards or something rushing — that’s not enough. We got to get more than that. I’d like to see that just as well as you would. The issue with him, trying to get him 25 carries or something like that, we’re breaking him in. So that’ll come.”
Las Vegas Face Criticism Over Ashton Jeanty Usage
Although the Raiders are falling a plan that can keep Jeanty fresh as the 2025 season goes along, there are still critics over the lack of leaning on the Boise State product to get their running game going.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers pass rusher James Harrison called out the Raiders for not using Jeanty enough, especially after investing the sixth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
“You have to have help from your offensive line, of course, but you need to effectively be able to run the ball,” Harrison said on the “Deebo & Joe” podcast. “You didn’t draft [Jeanty] over there just to hand the ball to him 12 times a week.
“I like Geno, but he ain’t gonna be that quarterback that’s going to sit out there and pump the ball out 40–50 times a game and think that that’s going to be something conducive to you guys winning.”
It’s only been two games into his career, and the Raiders have already run into some of the league’s toughest run defenses. The Washington Commanders, who owned the third-worst run defense in the NFL last season, could present Jeanty with a real chance to finally break through.
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