Ashton Jeanty is expected to be the centerpiece of the Raiders’ offense, but he isn’t the only running back in Las Vegas who made an impression prior to “summer break” on the NFL calendar.
Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter was asked this week who he thought looked like the Raiders’ offensive MVP in OTAs and his answer was a bit of a surprise.
“I was asked the other day on a national show, and somebody said ‘Who do you think was the offensive MVP… for the Raiders this offseason?'” Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast.
“On offense, to me, Geno [Smith] is amazing, but I think you had to say Sincere [McCormick],” Carpenter continued. “No pads, but I’ve never seen Sincere McCormick run the way he ran. If you go back and watch last year’s podcasts before training camp and after training camp, I said that I believed in him, but he had to do more. I saw it in OTA minicamp. Running mad at the world.”
Without question, Geno Smith is going to be one of the cornerstones of the offense and McCormick is going to have to earn carries behind Jeanty, but it’s a big deal that McCormick has made the kind of impression he has in the offseason.
If nothing else, the backfield in Las Vegas is going to be brimming with options behind Jeanty.
Zamir White and Raheem Mostert are going to factor into the mix at running back, but it can’t be a great sign that White was rumored to be on the trade block in February.
Additionally, head coach Pete Carroll seems to be a fan of Mostert coming out of OTAs.
“I love having multiple guys play. I’m not relying on one guy,” Carroll said earlier this week. “Whatever it takes to get it done. We’re going to let the guys play for their playtime. Raheem, I love having him. He’s an experienced guy, he’s been a great speedster for years. We’ve defended him for years and he’s been a nightmare for us.”
It’s only June, and there’s a lot to still be sorted out, but right now it seems like the Raiders’ backfield is going to be a competitive room going into training training camp and beyond.
x: @raidersbeat