Raiders’ Mike Washington Jr. To Fill RB2 Role

According to Ryan McFadden of ESPN, new head coach Klint Kubiak saw Jeanty’s 266 carries — in comparison to Raheem Mostert‘s 22, Zamir White‘s 12, and Dylan Laube‘s seven — and decided that a two-RB system could really benefit the offense by lessening the load on Jeanty’s shoulders. Obviously, the addition of No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza is meant to add some balance to the offense, as well, but as Mendoza either learns on the job or watches veteran Kirk Cousins start until he’s ready, that balance may not be immediately available.

In the meantime, Las Vegas will hope it can rely on Washington to spell Jeanty and provide a change of pace. Jeanty is a smaller, stouter back, measuring in around 5-foot-8, 211 pounds. He lacks elite top-end speed but has great burst to get to top speed quickly. Jeanty holds immense strength and, starting so low to the ground, can out-leverage most would-be tacklers to break through anything but the more solid form tackles. He can be elusive with patient footwork and is a reliable blocker and receiver from the backfield.

Washington is a bigger back at just over six feet tall and 225 pounds. He also owns that top-end speed that Jeanty lacks, posting a position-best 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. While that top-end speed is great in the open field, Washington limited burst can hurt his short-field production when trying to beat defenders around the edge. Despite being bigger than Jeanty and possessing a similar strength, Washington’s upright running style takes away from his ability to finish runs with violence and break tackles with power. He is a strong pass catcher, mostly in the screen game, but his pass blocking will need development at the next level.

When putting the two side by side, it’s easy to see how they complement each other and how effective they might be if they could fuse their best traits into one body, but it will be up to Kubiak to decipher how best to mix backs in his 2-RB system. It’s a challenge that Kubiak welcomed, and Washington is in prime position to fulfill his coach’s desires in adding another element to the offense that should help Jeanty blossom.