Ashton Jeanty arrived Friday greeting astatine Harry Reid International Airport, deplaning earlier beelining to Pearson Community Center. Training campy with the Las Vegas Raiders doesn’t commencement until July 29, but the second-year moving backmost had determination to be:
With the younker of North Las Vegas for his backpack drive.
“I’ve been blessed to person a batch of resources,” said the No. 6 prime successful past year’s NFL draft, dressed successful a Raiders tee and achromatic diversion pants.
“I consciousness arsenic if it’s important to assistance others with what you’ve been fixed arsenic well.”
Jeanty is entrenched successful the assemblage on with the backfield for the metallic and black, facilitating a festive day for dozens of section boys and girls. In conjunction with his Running 2 the Future Foundation, helium gave distant 150 achromatic Nike backpacks and chickenhearted and fries from Raising Canes to a raucous reception wrong the gym.
“(Vegas) decidedly is home. I’ve decidedly been embraced by the city,” said Jeanty, 22, noting helium lived astir of his offseason successful Texas. “I privation to clasp the assemblage much and conscionable bring them unneurotic and fto them cognize that I’m present to stay, nary substance what happens connected the field.”
The Raiders retooled aft Jeanty’s rookie season resulted successful 975 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns via 3.7 yards per transportation and a 3-14 record. Out went erstwhile manager Pete Carroll and erstwhile backmost Geno Smith, in came manager Klint Kubiak — arsenic the violative coordinator with the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks — and quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza.
Along with Pro Bowl halfway Tyler Linderbaum.
The changes should bode good for Jeanty, beleaguered past twelvemonth successful an overmatched discourtesy with small country to tally successful abstraction and the NFL’s seventh-most yards aft contact.
“We deliberation we should proceed to situation Ashton and get much retired of him,”Kubiak said successful May amid organized squad activities. “… The champion subordinate has got to play and we’ve got to get them connected the tract arsenic overmuch arsenic we can. I don’t cognize the play drawback percent but you look astatine (San Francisco 49ers moving back) Christian McCaffrey, his play drawback percent is high. So, those large backs, they don’t privation to travel disconnected the field.”
Preparing for a bigger workload means improving arsenic a walk catcher, a absorption for Jeanty this offseason that went with improving his acumen, helium said. Jeanty had 346 receiving yards to spell with 5 receiving touchdowns past play and sought to sharpen his way running.
Said Jeanty regarding his offseason goals: “Just overall, (becoming) a much versatile subordinate and adding much worth to the team.”
Jeanty besides said helium studied footage of moving backs Kubiak antecedently coached, including reigning Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker, who ran past twelvemonth for 1,025 yards connected 4.6 yards per transportation arsenic a timeshare back. Dalvin Cook besides cracked 1,000 rushing yards (1,159 yards connected 4.6 yards per carry) successful 2021 successful a mentation of the strategy erstwhile Kubiak called plays for the Minnesota Vikings.
“The (running backs) that person bought successful and each that, they’ve each produced and enactment up large numbers,” said Jeanty, jacked astatine 5-foot-8 and 208 pounds. “It’s precise breathtaking to beryllium successful the discourtesy and person a accidental to beryllium 1 of the adjacent large moving backs successful it.”
As for acquainting with Cousins and Mendoza, Jeanty said they’re “great guys” who “both enactment hard” with “attention to each detail” and expressed an eagerness to cultivate chemistry. Same, helium said, for an violative enactment that’s bolstered this twelvemonth by Linderbaum: “Definitely trying to physique that camaraderie. A batch of caller guys successful the building. New coaches. The champion happening you tin bash close present is conscionable physique relationships truthful erstwhile you get retired connected that field, you cognize who’s got your back.”
Second champion thing.
Giving backpacks to the kids is better.
“(Before grooming campy starts), I’m grooming hard, man, and besides getting a small spot of relaxation. Getting my caput close earlier I deed the field,” Jeanty said.
Contact Sam Gordon astatine sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon connected X.
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