Why the Raiders Have Zero Ashton Jeanty Concerns

Jim Wyman writes for Pro Football Focus, and he wrote an article gauging the level of concern teams should have for rookies who disappointed in their first season. Wyman claims their concern level should be low, but I think the Raiders have a lot to be concerned about after Jeanty's inefficient season.

"One may look at Jeanty’s numbers and consider his rookie year a colossal failure. He carried the ball 266 times for 975 yards, a 3.7 yards-per-carry figure that would have most people looking for a new back. Yet, despite these pedestrian numbers, Jeanty’s 75.3 PFF rushing grade was more than respectable", said Wyman.

Regardless of how poorly Jeanty's rookie season may have been, I see no universe where the Raiders should be looking to get rid of him after one year. Especially after they drafted him so highly, they should ride out his rookie contract even if he stays this inefficient for the rest of his career.

However, I doubt his numbers will stay this pedestrian. He was playing behind one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL, and still, he managed to make the most of it and had highlight-level plays. Raider Nation knows that Jeanty's poor rookie season wasn't his fault, but that the Raiders' offensive line was so bad, it made a generational running back prospect look unworthy of a top ten selection.

However, even when his offensive line couldn't block for him, Jeanty showed some red flags in his rookie season. He was never viewed as a plus in the pass-blocking game, and that continued in the NFL. He has a low center of gravity, which helps him tank tackle attempts and makes him hard to bring down, but it also means he doesn't do a good job of chipping edge blockers.

That has to improve in his sophomore season if the Raiders want Fernando Mendoza to succeed as much as he can. It's not like Jeanty has to pass-block every snap, but there were plays last season where he allowed Geno Smith to get rocked, and that can't happen with Mendoza.

"Among running backs with at least 100 rushing attempts, Jeanty’s average of 0.6 yards before contact per run ranked third worst. Only the Browns‘ Quinshon Judkins and the Seahawks' Zach Charbonnet were getting hit sooner. He did manage to force 61 missed tackles on runs, which tied Kenneth Walker III for the fifth most in the league".

Jeanty showed that he was a tough cookie by taking on that contact head-on, but I fear that this much pressure and contact may have stunted his long term growth with the team. His vision as a rusher slowly deteriorated through the season, and it coincides with him seeing a player rush free towards him seconds after touching the ball.

To be fair, it wasn't like he was given many rushing lanes in his rookie season. However, even a broken clock is right twice a day. Whenever they did give him some space, he would often just rush headfirst into the cluster of bodies before him. Even in the clip I showed above, he relies on his athleticism and bounces off the bodies of his offensive lineman to set up his 64-yard rushing touchdown.

That's my biggest cause of concern for Jeanty heading into 2026. I hope that he'll unlearn those bad tendencies and get back to the patient rusher he was in his time at Boise State. Other than that, an improved offensive line should fix his inefficient numbers. It's still not time to panic for the Raiders, but if his numbers look similar in his second season, it might be time for them to think about splitting the backfield between Jeanty and someone else.