Ashton Jeanty's rookie season finished with a stat line that cleared 1,300 scrimmage yards and hit 10 total touchdowns, but it was far from easy.
The average football fan might even declare Jeanty's first campaign -- a journey marred by porous offensive line play and generally awful offensive output -- a failure. That could be unnecessarily reductive, but doesn't change the urgency with which the Raiders are directing Jeanty entering their first season under head coach Klint Kubiak.
In the complex chess match known as football, the rookie coach knows sometimes it's as simple as leaning on your most talented players.
"We want to put a lot of pressure on Ashton," Kubiak said, . "The next guy that steps up, whoever that may be, that's going to be seen here in practice, OTAs and training camp, but we think we should continue to challenge Ashton and get more out of him.
"It's important to have a quality second back, but the best player has got to play, and we've got to get them on the field as much as we can. I don't know the play-snap percentage, but you look at [49ers running back] Christian McCaffrey, his play-snap percentage is high. So, those great backs, they don't want to come off the field."
Jeanty saw plenty of action -- 266 carries and 73 receiving targets -- in his rookie year. Like any competitive athlete, he isn't upset about being the focal point of Kubiak's offense, either.
"I look forward to it a lot," Jeanty said. "I mean, obviously I want to help the team win as much as I can, and if I don't have to, I don't want to come off the field."
If Kubiak has his way, Jeanty won't reach the sideline very often. The Raiders added a fascinating running mate in Arkansas' Mike Washington Jr., a blazing fast ball-carrier who posted the fastest 40-yard dash (4.33) among all running backs at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine in March. Instead of feeling threatened, Jeanty was happy to welcome Washington into the fold.
"He's going to be a great player for us," Jeanty said. "I like how he's coming to work and just putting his head down and trying to get better each and every single day. So, just super excited to have him in the room."
But there's a reason Las Vegas confidently spent the No. 6 overall pick on Jeanty in 2025: He's a home run hitter who could transform the Raiders' offense.
Jeanty will receive his next -- and so far, his best -- opportunity to become the star most expected him to instantly become a season ago. He'll run behind a revamped offensive line that includes big-ticket free agent center Tyler Linderbaum, which should reduce how often Jeanty is hit before reaching the line of scrimmage.
Ultimately, it will be on Jeanty to capitalize. Judging by Kubiak's comments, he's eager to see how far Jeanty can go.
