The Las Vegas Raiders suffered a major loss on offense this offseason with running back Josh Jacobs departing in free agency. He signed a deal with the Green Bay Packers that could end up being four years and worth $48 million.
That wasn’t a number the Las Vegas Raiders were going to come close to matching. Given how negotiations went during the 2023 offseason when Jacobs had the franchise tag placed on him, it felt like the two sides would part in 2024.
Now that they have, the backfield will officially be turned over to Zamir White. After barely stepping on the field as a rookie in 2022, White took over whenever Jacobs was not in the lineup in 2023.
He performed well, carrying the ball 104 times for 451 yards and one touchdown. White added 15 receptions for 98 yards as well.
A fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Georgia, the lead back job is White’s. He is going to handle a lot of work as reliable depth behind him is lacking.
Right now, Alexander Mattison and Ameer Abdullah are the backups behind White. That is something Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report believes needs to change ahead of training camp.
That is why he has urged the team to sign running back Jerick McKinnon. He is someone that the Las Vegas Raiders are familiar with as he spent three seasons with their rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs.
“Adding an experienced receiving back like Jerick McKinnon would make plenty of sense. McKinnon caught 94 regular-season passes over the last three years. Additionally, McKinnon would bring experience in the AFC West and a little insight into the rival Chiefs…
Adding McKinnon would also be a low-risk budget-friendly move. He played on a one-year, $1.3 million contract in 2023 and could likely be had at a similar rate,” wrote Knox.
While White performed well when he stepped in for Jacobs in 2023, he has yet to prove that he can handle the lead back role full-time. Someone like McKinnon could also take pressure off of him having to play all three downs all season.
Another positive to adding someone of McKinnon’s caliber is the championship experience he brings. He won two Super Bowls with the Chiefs and appeared in a third. That kind if experience is invaluable to a franchise.
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