Life after Josh Jacobs means the Raiders will turn to two running backs to lead the way in 2024.
First in line is third-year runner Zamir White, a 2022 fourth-round pick out of Georgia who spent his first two seasons behind Jacobs, a period in which the Raiders took White's workload from minimal to legitimate spell back in a year's time. Now, White -- who will form a 1-2 punch with Alexander Mattison -- feels more than ready to take over as the lead runner in Las Vegas' backfield, quickly responding with a "hell yes" when asked if he was prepared for the role.
"Last year, my role was more like [being] a quiet guy," White said, via ESPN. "Just like, when they need me, I'm here. But now I have to grow back into that vocal leader, and I'm just showing them on the field, every single day.
"I'm in this new role, and it's a whole new ground for me. So, [I'll] just keep on grinding it out, working, learning from the backs in the room and just progress."
White's place in the Raiders' offense was all but irrelevant in his rookie season of 2022, in which he saw just 17 attempts for 70 yards in 14 games played in a season carried by Jacobs' NFL-best 1,653 yards. A year later, though, Las Vegas knew it likely wouldn't have Jacobs beyond 2023, increasing White's workload to 104 carries, producing 451 yards -- including a 145-yard outing at Kansas City -- and effectively onboarding White into the Raiders' offense.
Now, it's his job. But as White noted, he'll need to grow into the role, and he won't be the only back seeking touches. Mattison joined the team via one-year deal in the offseason, and nine-year pro Ameer Abdullah returns as a reserve for his third season with the Raiders.
If anything, White can find common ground with Mattison in 2024.
"It's as difficult as you make it," Mattison said of going from a backup to a starter, as he did when Minnesota cut Dalvin Cook in 2023. "But with the right guys, with the right group, with the right coach, it makes that process a lot easier. So, for us to be able to have a good group of backs, there's some young guys in the room, but we're all relative to one another in that sense, and we help one another."
Though White is atop the depth chart, it will be a group effort for the Raiders, who are joining many other NFL teams in moving away from a lead-back setup to a committee. White has an opportunity, though, to prove he's more than the lead guy in the group. And he'll likely need to lean on his teammates to ensure he's prepared to capitalize.
"If I have a question, Ameer's there, Zamir's there," Mattison said. "If he has a question, I'm here. It's one of those things where we all help each other out in learning a new system and we're all in this together. So far it's working out, and so far, we're taking those right steps in the right direction."
