After Ashton Jeanty’s Las Vegas Raiders debut against the Seattle Seahawks, many were concerned that his game might not translate to the NFL. He had -1 yard on three carries.
However, it was just a preseason game, so there was no reason to put too much stock into it, but another poor showing against the San Francisco 49ers would’ve just made the noise louder. Luckily, that didn’t happen.
Jeanty looked solid against the 49ers, rushing for 33 yards and a touchdown. He also had a couple of highlight runs where he knocked back defenders. While Jeanty still needs to prove that he can run in the regular season, this is a great step in the right direction.
He had some strong comments after the game.
“I’ve arrived, and it’s time to keep going and make plays for this team,” Jeanty told reporters.
Jeanty is coming off of one of the best seasons for a running back in college football history, which led to him being the highest drafted running back since Saquon Barkley in 2018. The expectations are sky high for him, and the early signs are showing that he could be a major impact player in Year 1 for the Raiders.
Geno Smith & Pete Carroll Praise Jeanty
The Raiders have been confident in Jeanty all offseason. They had the worst running game in the NFL last season, and no team found a bigger upgrade.
That said, Jeanty is a rookie, so he’s not going to be a finished product this season. Quarterback Geno Smith thinks the future is really bright for the young running back.
“It fires me up just seeing the way [Jeanty] runs,” Smith said after the game. “He’s running through people, and he’s not shying away from contact.
“He’s going to be a special player.”
Head coach Pete Carroll also liked what he saw from Jeanty.
“Jeanty looked tough as hell and had a couple really nice plays,” Carroll told reporters. “Bounced back from a big hit, I don’t know if the other guy did, but he did. Was impressive I thought.”
Carroll Talks Raiders OL
Jeanty can be the most elusive and explosive running back in the NFL, but his ceiling will be limited if the offensive line plays poorly. There are real concerns about the Raiders’ offensive line, but Carroll thinks they’re headed in the right direction.
“We’re seeing them in practice make progress,” Carroll said. “I thought they carried it to the game. … It felt like we had reason to be confident that they’re doing their job. I think Jordan Meredith has done a really good job. … That was the competition that we really focused on to see how that would go, and I think he’s really taken that thing over and done a fine job with it. JPJ’s battling at the guard spot, and we know we’ve got a real physical guy who’s fired up and helps us out as well. The moves were well chosen, and I think we’re going to benefit from them.”
The offensive line could be the one thing that sinks the Raiders’ offense if they can’t play consistently this season.
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