The Las Vegas Raiders are beginning a new era at the running back position in 2024, with the team set to have Zamir White and Alexander Mattison as their primary options at the position after the departure of Josh Jacobs.
Jacobs, who left for the Green Bay Packers in free agency, tallied 1,000 yards or more in three of his five seasons with the Raiders, including a 2022 campaign in which he won a rushing title. Safe to say, it won't be easy to fill his shoes.
White finished out last season as the Raiders' starter, and he provided some hope in a limited sample size, rushing for 451 yards and one score on 104 attempts (4.3 yards per carry). He also added 15 receptions for 98 yards.
His best game came in Week 16 against the Kansas City Chiefs, when he tallied a career-best 145 yards. In all, White broke the century mark twice over the final four weeks.
White will be joined by veteran Alexander Mattison, who proved to be more effective as a backup than a starter during his five seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. He was handed the keys to the starting job in 2023, but didn't do much with the opportunity. Still, he's a solid No. 2 to have in what could be a timeshare.
All that said, the duo has something to prove going into 2024, and that's especially true for White, as the jury is still out on him — and that was accurately reflected in the rankings of running backs rooms by CBS Sports' Tyler Sullivan, who placed the Raiders' group in the "more to prove" tier, which was the second-lowest one.
"Meanwhile, the Raiders are handing the keys to the backfield to Zamir White after seeing Josh Jacobs depart in free agency," Sullivan wrote. "On top of White, Las Vegas has Alexander Mattison and Ameer Abdullah, who are capable of taking on a starter's workload in a pinch."
Sullivan's ranking and analysis is certainly fair considering the relative unknown that White is. The good news is, there is some optimism for him after what we saw during the stretch run of last season.
