Raiders Snap Count Observations: Ashton Jeanty Leads Backfield

The never ending guessing game of who will be the Raiders’ lead back continued in Week 9, as Ashton Jeanty handled most of the work. 

Mike Washington was relegated to a backup role again, as the Raiders had to play catch up in San Francisco. 

Las Vegas has three positions in constant flux, as running back, cornerback and right guard are seeing constant change in personnel. Here is how those positions stack up after the loss to the 49ers. 

Running Back 

Ashton Jeanty: 32 snaps

Mike Washington: 17 snaps

Dylan Laube: 1 snap 

One week after Washington took over the backfield, Jeanty reclaimed it. But it may be a temporary situation. 

Both running backs handled six carries in the game, as the Raiders never got the run game going. But game script may have simply determined playing time. 

Jeanty is the Raiders’ passing-down back. As Las Vegas fell behind early in this game, there was not much time to spend running the ball. As a result, Jeanty nearly doubled up Washington’s snaps. 

Dylan Laube’s one snap is notable, as it came on a third down in the first quarter. The Raiders simply do not trust Washington in passing-down scenarios. The coaching staff doesn’t want Washington to pass block and don’t want to use him as a receiver. 

Any time the Raiders are needing to throw repeatedly, expect Jeanty to play more. In games where Las Vegas can play with a lead, or at least in a one score game, Washington will get more opportunities and may even return to his lead-back status.

Cornerback

Darien Porter: 38 snaps

Jermod McCoy: 26 snaps

Hezekiah Masses: 12 snaps 

The Raiders have been rotating at cornerback all season. Darien Porter began the season as the starter, but after a Week 1 injury knocked him out, Hezekiah Masses took over the starting role. But Masses struggled and fell back to the bench. Now, he is behind Jermod McCoy. 

The second cornerback position has been filled with youth all season. Porter is in his second year and trying to establish himself as an NFL starter. Masses and McCoy are rookies the Raiders hope will be part of a future contender. 

But Las Vegas has yet to get consistent production from any of them. How the Raiders handle the cornerback position in the offseason could be decided by how these three play in the final eight games of the season.

Right Guard

Trey Zuhn: 30 snaps

Caleb Rogers: 20 snaps

Jackson Powers-Johnson: 0 snaps

The Raiders turned to rookie Trey Zuhn two weeks ago to take over the right guard position. But in the loss to the 49ers, Zuhn left the game with a concussion. As a result, Caleb Rogers played the rest of the game. 

It is a clear indication of how the Raiders view Jackson Powers-Johnson. He began the season as the starting right guard, but lost the job to Rogers. After Rogers failed to impress, the Raiders went to Zuhn. Now it is clear that Powers-Johnson is third on the depth chart. 

He can play center and left guard. If starting center Tyler Linderbaum goes down with an injury, Powers-Johnson is probably first in line to see the field. But he had a chance to show he was a starting-level guard in the NFL and failed to do so. Now Powers-Johnson’s time in Las Vegas may be coming to an end soon.