The Las Vegas Raiders are just weeks away from their season opener. As the preseason comes to a close, roster cuts begin to finalize this year’s team. With these steps and decisions, coaches can officially begin preparing for games using the tools at their disposal.
The running back room is one of the most interesting and important groups to watch in the 2024 season. It has the potential to be one of the most explosive groups not only in the AFC West Division and AFC Conference, but also in the entire National Football League.
Zamir White has shined all camp and continues to show why he deserves the most touches and should start at the RB position in Week 1. As a rookie in 2022, White only carried the ball 17 times in his 14 games, last season he took a big leap and carried the ball 104 times while rushing for 451 yards and a touchdown. The Raiders will want to continue the year-to-year rise as he will be an indispensable tool in this offense.
At the running back position, you need effective backups and even backups who can step in when White needs a breather. That’s where Alexander Mattison and Ameer Abdullah come in. Both can carry the ball successfully, but even more useful is their ability to catch the ball. Often, these plays are crucial when secondary and third RBs come in on third downs and passing situations. Mattison has caught 100 passes in his five seasons in the league, while Abdullah has caught 163 passes himself in his ten years.
It’s a group effort: Last year, the Raiders team finished 30th in the NFL with 1,542 rushing yards, beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cincinnati Bengals in that category.
This year offers the group a new chance to gain experience on offense and add new players to the team. The biggest addition is the man at the top of the group, Carnell Williams, who has been the Raiders’ running backs coach since his freshman year.
Williams was selected fifth overall in the 2005 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Williams spent his college career as a RB at Auburn University, breaking and chasing the college records of Raiders legend Bo Jackson.
After coaching at Auburn for five seasons, Williams is ready to return to the pros and inspire the group of guys assigned to him.
“Just showing up every day and being consistent, being that light and that energy,” Williams said.
This one-two-three combination could be the most important thing for this year’s offense. Setting up the running game and using the running backs in the passing attack could be the difference between victory and defeat for the Raiders.
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