The Raiders are most likely moving toward running back by committee situation with Ashton Jeanty and Mike Washington Jr., and it’s going to be interesting to see how the timeshare shakes out.
Despite suffering an ankle injury nine days ago, Jeanty is expected to be available week 1 against the Miami Dolphins.
But after the impression Washington made on the coaching staff in the last month, the rookie runner has earned a role in the offense, regardless of Jeanty’s status.
Last week, head coach Klint Kubiak hinted that Washington will be involved in the offense this year, and a draft nugget dropped by GM John Spytek on Monday only strengthened his case.
According to Spytek, it was Kubiak who was pounding the table to draft Washington on draft night.
“Klint deserves a lot of credit for drafting Mike Washington,” Spytek told members of the media on Monday. “He stood on the table for that at the start of Day 3, and this is the perfect scheme fit.”
If Washington was Kubiak’s target in the draft, it’s hard to imagine he isn’t going to give his coveted rookie running back opportunities sooner than later.
Kubiak has always favored a running back by committee approach, and the fact that he got his targeted running back in the draft certainly lends to a running back situation developing, potentially similar to what Kubiak had with Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet in Seattle.
On a related note, Lincoln Kennedy talked about the Raiders’ plan at running back last week, and he is convinced there will be a legitimate timeshare between Jeanty and Washington.
“I’m a firm believer that this group is going to be running back by committee,” Kennedy said last week on the Raiders Squad Show.
“But… when you talk about the parameters of your offense, you don’t want to take a guy off, be it Ashton Jeanty or Mike Washington, for someone else that doesn’t do as good of a job or changes up because maybe he’s a better pass blocker or maybe he’s better out of the backfield. I think all these backs can do that.”
x: @raidersbeat