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The Raiders had one of the most productive rushing attacks in the league last season as Josh Jacobs led the NFL in rushing yards and yards from scrimmage. He was a dominant running back who totaled over 2,000 yards from scrimmage in his fourth year in the league.
However, the Raiders didn’t get enough out of the rest of their running back stable. Zamir White, Ameer Abdullah, and Brandin Bolden combined for just 156 rushing yards on the season and because no one was able to step up and be the No. 2 back, it forced Jacobs to stay on the field a ton.
So where would you rank the running back room for the Raiders going into the 2023 season? Still very high despite a proven No. 2 back.
In a recent article by Pro Football Focus, the site ranked all 32 running back rooms entering 2023. The Raiders came in at No. 7 because of Jacobs. Here is what they had to say about the group:
The Raiders running back unit was essentially just Josh Jacobs a year ago, accounting for 339 of the team’s 377 rushing attempts by running backs. Luckily for the team, Jacobs had the best year of his career, leading the NFL in rushing yards and leading all running backs with a 91.9 PFF grade. Jacobs forced 90 missed tackles on rushing attempts, seven more than any other running back.
While Jacobs is expected to be back in 2023 on either the franchise tag or on a new deal, don’t be surprised if the Raiders try to get him some more rest this season. Jacobs had a career-high of 393 touches in 2022 and the team can’t afford to put that many miles on his body again this year.
Instead, look for 2022 fourth-round pick Zamir White to see a big increase in workload this season. White has dropped weight this offseason to get even more explosive. He’ll still need to prove that he can be functional as a pass blocker, but his home-run speed should allow him to get more opportunities this season.
If White can make a big leap in 2023, the Raiders might have the best running back room in the league. But even in its current state, it’s still one of the top units in the league because of Jacobs.