Does Ashton Jeanty Deserve the Raiders’ Bellcow Role?

Sep 27, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Las Vegas Raiders running back Mike Washington Jr. (4) runs with the ball in the second half against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Does Ashton Jeanty Deserve the Raiders’ Bellcow Role?

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Tyler Bischoff | Last updated Sep 28, 2026 2:05 PM ET

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The Raiders are the surprise of the NFL. Las Vegas sits at 3-0 after taking down the Saints in Week 3. But not everything is perfect, as running back Ashton Jeanty is off to a disappointing start.

Jeanty couldn’t produce for the Raiders’ offense on Sunday. He ran 19 times for just 56 yards. It was the same story last week when Jeanty was handed the ball 21 times and put up a meager 48 yards on the ground.

That is consecutive weeks with a massive workload, but a yards per carry under three. Jeanty needs to start producing.

Mike Washington Jr. is picking up yards

One of the biggest problems for Jeanty is that he is not breaking off any long runs. He has yet to rush for 20 yards on a single carry this season.

However, his backup, Mike Washington Jr., ripped off a 36-yard touchdown on Sunday. Washington has the two longest runs of the season for the Raiders.

This season Jeanty has run the ball four times as much as Washington (63 to 15). But Jeanty has just barely doubled his yardage with a 206 to 102 edge. Washington’s yards per carry is sitting at 6.8, while Jeanty is down at 3.2.

The rookie backup has only gotten a few carries; it is too small of a sample size to make sweeping judgments. But Washington has found room to run, while Jeanty continues to go nowhere.

The Raiders would be wise to give Washington a few more carries until Jeanty proves he can actually be a productive running back.

Just like last season

This is not new for Jeanty, as he put together an incredibly inefficient rookie season. Last year, Jeanty averaged 3.7 yards per carry, but the Raiders still gave him 266 carries.

The Raiders were a disaster across the board in 2025. The offensive line was a mess, and Geno Smith and the passing game rarely got going.

But this season, the running game is the only part of the team that is truly miserable.

General manager John Spytek took Jeanty with the sixth-overall pick in the 2025 draft. In order to prove that was not a poor decision, Spytek needs Jeanty to keep getting a massive workload and hope that the running back finally shows he was worthy of that high selection.