The Las Vegas Raiders are beginning a new era at the running back position in 2024 after the team let Josh Jacobs walk in free agency. Now, the team has a backfield that figures to be led by Zamir White, with veteran Alexander Mattison behind him.
But is White going to see the kind of workhorse role that Jacobs did over his five years with the Raiders? If we look at White's numbers from the end of the 2023 campaign when he averaged 21 carries per game, one could say yes.
However, after recent comments by offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, it's clear that White playing the role of a bell cow, which has become less and less common in today's NFL, isn't a lock.
“I think you’re looking for someone to just take the lead,” Getsy said of White, per Levi Damien of Raiders Wire . “You get those critical moments in games and situational football that they’re able to respond. And I don’t think that always necessarily means it has to just be one guy. I think that can be two, can be three. But I think it’s always important to have someone in that room that, you know, is the lead of the room. Not necessarily like the years of the bell cow, 25 carries, 30 carries a game. It’s 17 games. I don’t think anybody’s surviving that anymore. But to be the lead guy when it’s crunch time and you know where you’re going with the football, that guy’s gonna get it done and that’s more important than anything else.”
Because of his massive frame, White is best suited out of all Raiders running backs to take on a big workload on the ground. But size isn't everything and White will have to be effective in order to maintain his grip on lead back duties.
The only real threat to White is Mattison, as Las Vegas has just Ameer Abdullah and rookie Dylan Laube behind those two. White is going to get the first crack at lead back duties, but Mattison could take the job away from White if he falters.
