COSTA MESA, Calif. (AP) — Zamir White showed he could take over for Josh Jacobs over the final month of last season.
But what about for the entire season?
White, the Las Vegas Raiders’ fourth-round draft pick two years ago out of Georgia, will get his chance this season. Jacobs, who led the NFL in rushing in 2022 before watching his production fall last season after a contract holdout, signed with the Green Bay Packers in the offseason.
The soft-spoken White will let his play on the field answer whether he’s ready.
“Put your head down, work and grind,” White said.
That’s what he did when Jacobs was not only the unquestioned starter, but also the workhorse back that is counter to how the position often is played these days.
When Jacobs rushed for 1,653 yards two seasons ago, he touched the ball nearly 400 times. He touched it another 270 times last year before going down over the final month with a quadriceps injury.
Until that point, White had rushed just 37 times in his brief Raiders career for 124 yards, creating questions whether the club might have to look elsewhere to find Jacobs’ future replacement.
Then White got his opportunity.
With Jacobs out of the lineup, White rushed for 397 yards over the final four games. That production showed the Raiders they had a player capable of being the lead back, going even further to usher Jacobs out of Las Vegas after five seasons.
But not only was it a small sample size, it remains to be seen whether the team will remain with an offense that asks so much of one running back or will join most of the league in going with a more balanced approach.
The latter approach appears likely after the Raiders signed Alexander Mattison in the offseason, who spent the previous five seasons in Minnesota. Mattison followed a similar path to White, playing behind Dalvin Cook for four seasons.
The Vikings elevated him to the starting position last year after releasing Cook, who later signed with the New York Jets. Though Mattison rushed for a career-high 700 yards, he gained just 3.9 per carry and didn’t score a touchdown on the ground. The Vikings released him after the season.
Another veteran, Ameer Abdullah, enters his 10th season, a player effective at catching passes out of the backfield. In his two seasons in Las Vegas, Abdullah has a combined 44 catches compared to 19 rushes.
“You’ve got two vets that have been in the system,” offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said. “Things kind of come natural to them. Z’s first time in the system, picking it up better every single day. When he gets that rock, there’s a cool explosiveness. I can’t wait to see people bouncing off of him as we get pads on (Tuesday).”
Getsy also pointed to Dylan Laube, who was drafted in the sixth round this year out of New Hampshire. He has shown in practices that he might land a spot on special teams and perhaps as a reserve running back.
“Man, that dude is special,” coach Antonio Pierce said. “He just walks around with kind of that Long Island smile and talk, and he’s gritty. And the one thing about it, he surprises you with his speed. Really good with the ball after catch, even when he’s running (the) football. He’s going to be a difficult matchup because it’s already showing up in practice.”
White, though, is the back to watch at this point.
At 6 feet and 215 pounds, he fits Getsy’s offense of wanting to establish a physical running game. White also has the speed to turn short gains into big plays, running the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds at the 2022 NFL scouting combine.
That kind of combination could make it easy for Raiders fans to forget about Jacobs or at least not miss him as much.
That is if White plays 17 games like he did the final four last season. In true fashion, he won’t talk much about it, which in some ways makes White stand out even more on a team with many strong personalities such as Maxx Crosby, Christian Wilkins and Davante Adams.
“Me being in the background and just watching stuff and laughing at them, it’s pretty cool,” White said.
The Raiders will need him, at least on the field, to be in the forefront this season.
Can he do it? Stay tuned.
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