Raiders Send RB Ashton Jeanty a ‘Challenge'
Ashton Jeanty had an underwhelming rookie season with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2025.
Jeanty, the No. 6 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, ran for 975 yards and five touchdowns on 266 carries, averaging 3.7 yards per rush. He added another 346 receiving yards on 55 receptions.
Jeanty was a much-hyped running back prospect out of college because of his incredible 2024 season at Boise State when he averaged 7.0 yards per carry, rushing for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns. He finished runner-up to Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback/receiver Travis Hunter in the Heisman Trophy race that year.
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New Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak wants to see more out of Jeanty in Year 2. When speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Kubiak wanted to challenge Jeanty to stay on the field as much as possible, citing San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey as an example.
"We're gonna put a lot of pressure on Ashton,” Kubiak said, via video from Sean Zittel. “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.
“I think it’s important to have a quality second back. But you know, the best players got to play, and we got to get them on the field as much as we can.”
Jeanty played in 78 percent of the Raiders' offensive snaps last season. McCaffrey played in 83 percent of the 49ers' offensive snaps in 2025.
The more Jeanty is on the field, the more defenses have to worry about him making plays, which should open things up for quarterback Kirk Cousins or Fernando Mendoza.
The Raiders aren’t sure who will complement Jeanty in the backfield this fall. Las Vegas could look to add help at running back this offseason to help when Kubiak needs to keep Jeanty’s legs fresh.
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This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 8:30 PM.