The fantasy football world can probably take a collective sigh of relief after Las Vegas Raiders coach Klint Kubiak offered a reassuring statement about running back Ashton Jeanty’s potential usage rate this season.
“We want to put a lot of pressure on Ashton,” Kubiak said of whether the selection of Mike Washington Jr. in the draft would take some of the burden off the former top-10 pick entering his sophomore campaign. “The next guy that steps up, whoever that may be, that’s going to be seen here in practice, OTAs and training camp. But we think we should continue to challenge Ashton and get more out of him.”
That’s a key clarification from comments earlier this offseason about wanting to find a complementary back to share the load with Jeanty.
Kubiak said after Wednesday’s official team activity practice at the team facility that while he does believe in a secondary option, he’s comfortable with Jeanty shouldering the primary burden.
“I’ve said it before, I think it’s important to have a quality second back. But the best player has got to play and we’ve got to get them on the field as much as we can,” he said. “I don’t know the play snap percentage, but you look at Christian McCaffrey, his play snap percentage is high. So, those great backs, they don’t want to come off the field.”
The comparison is noteworthy because McCaffrey played in Kubiak’s offense when he was offensive coordinator of the 49ers in 2023 and has been an example for fans dreaming of what Jeanty might look like in this scheme. McCaffrey played 81 percent of the offensive snaps that season and has topped 90 percent twice in his career.
Jeanty played 78 percent of the offensive snaps for the Raiders as a rookie.
That kind of usage is only possible for backs that can be just as effective in the passing game, including in protection, as they are in the run game.
Jeanty showed he is further along in his development in those areas last year than some believed, which earned him more opportunities on third down as the season progressed.
The former Boise State standout said he’s looking forward to continuing that trend under Kubiak.
“Obviously I want to help the team win as much as I can,” he said on Wednesday. “If I don’t have to, I don’t want to come off the field.”
McCaffrey doesn’t just serve as an example for potential usage, but for how he was able to perform in Kubiak’s system that also produced a Super Bowl MVP in Kenneth Walker III last season.
The 49ers star had his best year as a pro in his one year playing for Kubiak.
“I’ve been watching (McCaffrey and Walker) a lot,” Jeanty said. “I mean, I’ve been watching Christian since college, watched Kenneth Walker III in college, too. So, watching their NFL tape, running the same scheme they’re running is super exciting to be able to watch them, and then apply my game to it.”
The new scheme doesn’t necessarily change his job, however. While the offensive line is asked to rely more on movement than power and be able to get outside to reach defenders and stretch the field horizontally and the quarterback is asked to be under center more and able to execute more boots and play-action, Jeanty believes his job doesn’t change much.
The technical aspects may chance as he may be asked to be more of a one-cut runner at times, scanning for the lane and then hitting it, Jeanty prefers to take a more micro approach.
“I wouldn’t say it’s that different,” he said. “Just be great in all three phases: The run game, pass game and pass protection.”
He believes he’s in a better position to do that entering his second season. Jeanty acknowledges he didn’t have much of an offseason last year, coming off the draft process and then getting immediately thrust into a workhorse role in an NFL offense. He spent all the time he could getting up to speed on the offense and was in training camp before he really knew it.
Now the process of being an NFL player is slowing down a bit and he’s able to find more of a routine. He’s learning when to start training in the offseason, when to actually take a step back and recharge by taking a vacation and the best ways to maintain his body to prepare for the rigors of an NFL season.
That included finding ways to improve his strength and conditioning, which brought him into the boxing ring a few times.
“The biggest thing is just cardio, getting in shape, and then just reaction, hand speed,” he said. “I feel like that’ll translate in pass pro.”
There was also an opportunity to reflect on a 3-14 season that saw Jeanty have modest statistical success despite some challenges with the system and the offensive line in front of him as he ran for 975 yards and caught 55 passes for 346 yards.
“(I learned to) just continue to push through,” he said. “Obviously it was a tough, tough season, but I think there were a lot of moments where I could have been better, pushed myself more, my teammates more. So, going in this year, I’m just focused on getting way better.”
He should get plenty of opportunities to show that.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.
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