The Las Vegas Raiders have had a pretty solid offseason to this point. They were aggressive early in free agency, landing Miami Dolphins star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins with a massive contract as their splashiest signing.
The team also upgraded at quarterback, signing Gardner Minshew, presumably to battle it out for the starting job with Aidan O’Connell. While Wilkins and Minshew address two needs on the roster, others remain as some key players were poached in free agency.
One of those players was running back Josh Jacobs. Jacobs signed a multi-year deal with the Green Bay Packers to take over their backfield. While Las Vegas is confident that Zamir White can get the job done, adding some depth in the backfield would make sense.
The running back market was much more fruitful this offseason than in 2023 when players were struggling to lock down long-term deals. Despite that, there are still some solid options the Raiders can turn to as partners for White.
One of those players is Alexander Mattison. The former Minnesota Vikings running back hit free agency after the team released him, following his signing of a two-year contract in 2023. Mattison has since been replaced in Minnesota by Aaron Jones, who was released by the Packers following the Jacobs signing.
It would be a full circle moment if the Raiders were to sign Mattison, completing the circuit of running back movement between the three teams. According to Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report, Mattison is visiting Las Vegas today and multiple teams are in play for him.
Mattison spent the first five seasons of his career with the Vikings. He was the backup to Dalvin Cook for the first four of them before being given the lead-back role in 2023. His production did not increase with the workload, as Mattison averaged only 3.9 yards per carry.
The 180 carries and 700 yards rushing were both career-highs for him. Mattison has proven capable of producing as a change-of-pace and backup running back, which is likely the role he will end up in during the 2024 campaign.
The running back depth chart for the Raiders could certainly use some reinforcements behind White. Ameer Abdullah was re-signed, but Brandon Bolden hit free agency along with Jacobs, leaving little depth on the team.
More must-reads: