After five seasons with Josh Jacobs at the helm, the Las Vegas Raiders are moving into a new era at the running back position, with former fourth-round pick Zamir White expected to take the reins in his third season.
After nearly two seasons of barely seeing the field because of the presence of Jacobs, White finally got an opportunity to show what he could do down the stretch of last season and made the most of his opportunity.
White tallied 397 rushing yards and one touchdown while also averaging 4.7 yards per carry over the final four games of the 2023 campaign.
Looking ahead to 2024, Pro Football Network's Tony Catalina believes White is primed for a breakout campaign. Here's what he wrote:
Josh Jacobs is no longer in Las Vegas, setting up White to get his first real chance to break onto the scene. He had been productive at times in limited capacities, but his chance to shine and change the trajectory of his NFL career begins in 2024. The talent is there, and now the timing is too.
Another sign that White is primed for a breakout campaign is his body transformation. It's very clear he's putting in the work this offseason.
DAMN… New #Raiders RB1 Zamir White is JACKED
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) March 18, 2024
😳😳😳
pic.twitter.com/Odq47Scue9
One thing that can limit White is touch distribution. The Raiders signed a veteran back in Alexander Mattison and it remains unclear how involved he'll be. In his two years as the offensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears, Luke Getsy used multiple backs often, and that could play out in Las Vegas, also.
Adding to that, White remains a relative unknown because of such a small sample size, so there's no telling how he'll handle a lead role for an entire season. If issues arise, Las Vegas might hand the keys to Mattison.
The Raiders have several players to keep an eye on for breakout campaigns, like wide receiver Tre Tucker and edge rusher Tyree Wilson, for example. But White has the clearest path to achieving that goal in 2024.
