Sep 7, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) rushes the ball against the New England Patriots during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Breaking Down Jeanty’s Quiet Start with the Raiders

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Fernando Alfaro-Donis | Last updated Sep 26, 2025 10:00 AM ET

On the long list of disappointing things about the 2025 Las Vegas Raiders, near the top of that list is how underwhelming their first-round pick, Ashton Jeanty, has performed to kick off his career. They drafted him to give their offense some explosiveness as well as fix their horrendous rushing attack they were fielding last year.

Through three games, Jeanty has been as inefficient as his worst doubters would've assumed, and from the looks of it, the Raiders would've been better off drafting any other position other than running back.

PFSN RB Rankings

Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Jacob Infante is a sports writer for Pro Football Sports Network, and after week three in the NFL, he ranked each running back based on how they've performed so far in the year. For Jeanty, he's the 27th-ranked running back this week, which is one spot higher than he was a week ago.

"With 47 carries in three weeks, Jeanty is tied for tenth in the NFL in rushing attempts. However, he’s just 24th in the league with 144 rushing yards, and that separation in attempts and yards shows that the Las Vegas Raiders’ run game has been inefficient to start the year", said Infante.

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It's not all Jeanty's fault. The Raiders' offensive line is one of the worst in the league, and before he can even cross the line of scrimmage, he already has to deal with players breaking through and tackling him.

"Jeanty is one of just two running backs with a negative yards before contact average, with Chase Brown being the other. He also has a success rate as a pass catcher at 0.0%. For reference, no other RB in the league has a percentage lower than 16.7%".

Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

It's not a coincidence that the only other running back with a negative yards before contact average is Chase Brown, who plays behind the Cincinnati Bengals' offensive line. The offensive line is the biggest reason he hasn't panned out, but it's also due to the lack of creativity in the Raiders' playcalling whenever they use him.

At this point, Geno Smith is better testing his luck and has Jeanty run a route than to hand the ball off to him and have him fend for himself behind their offensive line. Chip Kelly has to know how talented he is; it's mind-boggling why they don't use him in different plays other than runs and screens.

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

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