When the Las Vegas Raiders took Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty with the sixth overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, they gave a clear indication of how new head coach Pete Carroll intends to structure his offense. Carroll made Jeanty the highest-selected running back in seven years, since the New York Giants drafted Saquon Barkley at No. 2 in 2018.
Jeanty appears to be a generational talent. By gaining 2,601 yards in 2024, put himself in league with the legendary Barry Sanders, who still holds the NCAA record. Sanders ran for 2,628 in 1988 for Oklahoma.
But if Carroll plans the Raiders to operate as a run-centric system, as the pick of Jeanty would indicate, he cannot rely simply on the rookie. The Raiders will need a Plan B. Right now, they have former Miami Dolphins ball carrier Raheem Mostert, who they signed to a one-year, $2.1 million free agent deal in March.
Raiders Need a Veteran Backup For Rookie Jeanty
But according to experts, the Raiders would be well-advised to sign another free agent â former Cleveland Browns four-time Pro Bowl runner Nick Chubb. At age 29, Chubb has been restricted to just 10 games over the past two seasons thanks to a series of injuries.
Before that, however, he recorded four consecutive 1000-plus yard seasons â including a career high 1,525 in 2022 â following a rookie year when he came just four yards shy of the 1,000-yard milestone.
“Iâd be interested to see if Nick Chubb has anything left,” wrote SB Nation Raiders expert Matt Holder on Saturday â though ultimately Holder concluded that “the coaching staff will lean on Raheem Mostert as the veteran back this season.”
But Dharya Sharma of The Sporting News wrote on Sunday that the Raiders should seek out Chubb as Jeanty’s backup.
“Though Chubb is past his prime and his days as a high-level starting back are over, the 29-year-old can still provide value as a short-yardage back, as he hasn’t lost his power and grit,” Sharma wrote. “Chubb would pair well with Jeanty and could also be a nice mentor for the young star running back entering his rookie season. Additionally, Chubb shouldn’t be expensive to sign.”
Chubb is coming off a one-year deal for $2.275 million from Cleveland and could likely be signed at little more than that price â or even less, considering that the Browns have already made it clear they have no intention of taking back the four-year Georgia star who gained 4,769 yards in his college career.
Workhorse Chubb Believes He is Healthy Again
The sports business site Spotrac projects a one-year deal worth $3.3 million for Chubb, but that may prove an optimistic estimate.
“Jeanty projects as a three-down workhorse, but it wouldn’t hurt to have better veteran depth behind him,” wrote Justin Melo of The Draft Network on Saturday. “Chubb would compete with Raheem Mostert, another oft-injured veteran who’s past his prime, for the change-of-pace role. Behind Mostert, Carroll inherited Sincere McCormick and Zamir White from the previous regime and should promise them nothing heading into 2025.”
Melo also wrote that after ending two straight years on injured reserve, “Chubb believes those injuries are behind him now. The four-time 1,000-yard rusher could be an effective member of a backfield rotation as a between-the-tackles change-of-pace runner if healthy.”
Indeed, if Chubb’s health is genuinely back to normal, the Raiders could be catching lightning in a bottle with an inexpensive free agent acquisition of the 2018 second-round draft pick. A fully restored Chubb could supercharge Carroll’s old-school ground game with a second 1,000-yard-capable rusher behind Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite Jeanty.
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