The Las Vegas Raiders have taken a step forward in most areas this season, but the run game remains a glaring exception. At the center of that problem is the Ashton Jeanty decline, a sophomore slump that has seen the former sixth-overall pick average just 3.2 yards per carry in 2026, down from 3.7 as a rookie in 2025.
A Statistical Step Back
Jeanty entered the league as a celebrated prospect out of Boise State, drafted sixth overall in 2025. His rookie year was modest by his standards, but the Raiders expected a leap in Year 2, especially after hiring Klint Kubiak as head coach and signing center Tyler Linderbaum to anchor the offensive line. Instead, the numbers have moved in the wrong direction.
The most telling split lies in Jeanty’s yards before contact. That figure has dropped from 0.4 per carry to 0.3, meaning he is getting hit earlier and more often. His yards after contact share has risen to 90.3%, the fifth-highest among running backs with at least 50 carries. In other words, Jeanty is doing more of his work after being contacted, a sign that blocking—or his own vision—is failing to create clean lanes.
Week 6 vs. Bills: A Mixed
Jeanty’s first rushing touchdown of the season came in Week 6 against Buffalo, a one-yard score that required him to fight through contact in the backfield. It was a welcome breakthrough after six previous carries inside the 5-yard line without finding the end zone. Yet the second half told a different story: Jeanty had just two carries for minus-5 yards, and the Raiders seemed to give more late work to rookie Mike Washington.
Kubiak, normally reserved, acknowledged Monday that all three running backs need to produce. He praised the group’s performance against the Bills, noting they ran harder and broke tackles, and credited running backs coach Omar Young for challenging them well. Kubiak said he expects that improved play to continue—a comment that subtly suggests a more distributed workload is coming.
Mike Washington's Efficiency Case
Washington, a fourth-round rookie, has made the most of limited opportunities. He has 34 carries for 168 yards and one touchdown, a 36-yard burst that heavily boosts his statistical profile. Washington has five explosive runs on roughly one-third of Jeanty’s carries; Jeanty also has five explosive runs, but on far more work.
More telling are the advanced metrics. Washington’s rush yards over expected per carry sits at 0.7, while Jeanty’s is -0.3. That gap suggests Washington has been more effective at creating beyond what the blocking provides. However, Jeanty’s success rate (35.7%) is actually higher than Washington’s (32.4%), indicating that Jeanty has been more consistent down-to-down even if his big-play rate lags.
Injury Context and Historical Comparisons
Jeanty suffered an ankle injury in training camp and has appeared on the injury report this year, though he has said he is healthy. The exact severity remains unclear, but the issue lingers as a possible explanation for his diminished burst.
After his rookie year, analyst Bill Barnwell first noted comparisons between Jeanty and Trent Richardson, the third-overall pick in 2012 who never averaged more than 3.6 yards per carry in a season and was traded from Cleveland to Indianapolis two games into 2013. It is a cautionary tale about drafting running backs high.
The hopeful comparison comes from LaDainian Tomlinson, who said Jeanty’s rookie year reminded him of his own. Tomlinson averaged 3.7 or 3.8 yards per carry as a rookie in 2001, then exploded for 1,683 rushing yards, 14 rushing touchdowns, 498 receiving yards, and 4.5 yards per carry in 2002. Tomlinson also said he is targeting Jeanty in fantasy football, a vote of confidence in a second-year leap.
What Comes Next
Jeanty’s draft status and salary may influence his role, but Kubiak’s comments signal that production will dictate usage. The Raiders’ run game remains the weak link on an otherwise improved team. Whether the issue is blocking, vision, or health, the pressure is on Jeanty to reverse the trend—or cede carries to Washington.
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