Raiders HC Josh McDaniels on RB Josh Jacobs: 'He's one of the best runners I've been around'
Christian McCaffrey, Derrick Henry and Jonathan Taylor are great running backs, but each has fewer rushing yards this season than the Raiders' Josh Jacobs, who is making the case that he's among the elite at the position.
"He's one of the best runners I've been around," said head coach Josh McDaniels following a 32-23 victory over the Broncos on Sunday.
Against Denver, Jacobs looked like a juggernaut, totaling 144 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The Broncos have the NFL's fourth-best defense, making the performance even more impressive.
Through four games, Jacobs is fifth in the NFL in rushing with 336 yards on 70 carries. Pro Football Focus ranks him as the second-best running back in the NFL, behind Cleveland's Nick Chubb.
This is a great start for a player who was rumored to be on the trading block in August. McDaniels dismissed that speculation, but the Raiders signaled Jacobs could be on his way out of Vegas.
Jacobs rushed for only 872 yards last season, perhaps the chief reason the Raiders didn't pick up his fifth-year option in the offseason. They also drafted another running back, Georgia's Zamir White, in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
So far in 2022, Jacobs is proving his value.
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