Dec 14, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) in the tunnel against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Breaking Down Jeanty and Kubiak's Pairing for Raiders

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Carter Landis | Last updated Feb 18, 2026 6:00 AM ET

Las Vegas Raiders fans are feeling excited about the future, and for good reason.

The Raiders have begun a rebuild in the right way, creating ample cap space and hiring a promising, offensive-minded head coach. Klint Kubiak will have lots of money and draft picks to work with as he takes over the Silver and Black.

He also gets the chance to work with an exciting young running back in Ashton Jeanty, who had an impressive rookie season, despite playing in a poor offensive system and behind a bad offensive line.

Kubiak focuses on establishing the run, and he’ll have the chance to do that with Jeanty leading the way. Let’s break down Kubiak’s offensive scheme and how Jeanty can thrive in it.

Klint Kubiak and Ashton Jeanty: Match made in Heaven?

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Kubiak is a Kyle Shanahan protege, so he utilizes a wide-zone run scheme. That means the offensive line moves as one unit while blocking, giving the running back room to run along the perimeter. Jeanty is tough to tackle once he gets downhill, so if Kubiak’s scheme gives him space to get to the second level, he will make more defenders miss. He finished third in the league in broken tackles in his rookie season, just behind Jonathan Taylor and Javonte Williams.

NFL fans saw the way Kubiak got the most out of Kenneth Walker III, who won Super Bowl MVP and should be in line for a big payday when free agency begins. The Raiders and Raider Nation should expect Jeanty to be used similarly to Walker’s postseason production.

Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Jeanty and Walker have similar skill sets, even if Walker is a tad bit faster. They’re both smaller, well-built, shifty backs who can break off big runs if blocked for correctly. Kubiak likes to use multiple backs, so the Raiders will have to find someone to take carries from Jeanty when he needs to come out of the game.

Zamir White and Raheem Mostert are both free agents, and the latter makes more sense to bring back, given his familiarity with the scheme.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

While Kubiak will want to use multiple backs next season, Jeanty should still get more than 250 carries, as he did in his rookie season. He can’t play 100 percent of the snaps, but he should be on the field and used heavily.

Last year’s coaching staff did not benefit Jeanty much, but Kubiak’s should. In a scheme that knows how to get the most out of its running backs, Jeanty should see another big season in 2026 under Kubiak.

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This article first appeared on Las Vegas Raiders on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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