No team gained fewer yards on the ground in 2024 than the Raiders. The club that wound up at the bottom of the AFC West standings with a 4-13 record totaled 1,357 yards rushing in 17 games, a dismal 79.8 yards per contest.
Even more distressing was the fact that five players — Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley (2,005), Baltimore’s Derrick Henry (1,921), Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson (1,456), Indianapolis’ Jonathan Taylor (1,431), and Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs (1,412), ran for more yards than the Raiders this past season.
You certainly get the sense that’s about to change.
Raiders add an experienced runner
The Silver and Black not only have a new head coach in Super Bowl champion Pete Carroll, but a new offensive coordinator in Chip Kelly. The latter is the key to the team adding a proven veteran who was recently cut loose by the Miami Dolphins last month.
Veteran Raheem Mostert is a battled-tested performer who was a big part of the San Francisco 49ers’ Super Bowl LIV run in 2019. In 10 NFL seasons, he’s made his share of stops around the league, and spent the past three years with the Miami Dolphins. His best year came in 2023, when he ran for a career-best 1,012 yards, and wound up tying for the league lead with 21 total touchdowns.
Injuries limited Mostert to 13 games this past season. He ran for only 278 yards and two scores on 85 attempts, finishing second on the Dolphins in rushing. On the other hand, the Raiders’ top ground gainer in ’24 was Alexander Mattison with 420 yards (4 touchdowns). Ironically, he was just signed by the Dolphins this week.
ESPN’s Field Yates released his latest mock draft on Monday, and with the sixth overall pick on April 24, he has Carroll and the Raiders’ brain trust opting for Boise State superstar Alshon Jeanty “A Pete Carroll-coached team is always going to make the running game a substantial priority. Jeanty shows elusiveness, power and vision as a runner, and he can chip in with the pass game…”
For what it’s worth, the 2024 Heisman Trophy runner-up, who ran for 2,601 yards, also outgained the Raiders on the ground this past season.