Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak said, “it’s important to have a quality second back, but the best player has got to play, and we’ve got to get them on the field as much as we can.”
Nothing is set in stone, but this quote is worth paying close attention to. Kubiak employed a steady two-running back rotation in the Seahawks’ Super Bowl run last year. Is it possible he would adjust his philosophy if the backfield’s talent requires him to do so? With a “slight” smile, Kubiak said that the team wants “to put a lot of pressure” on RB1 Ashton Jeanty, before noting that 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey’s “play-snap percentage is high. So, those great backs, they don’t want to come off the field.” Jeanty echoed the sentiment, saying, “if I don’t have to, I don’t want to come off the field.” Now, if rookie RB Mike Washington Jr. takes spring and summer practices by storm, Kubiak will probably rotate him in regularly. However, it seems as though Kubiak is at least open to the idea of featuring Jeanty as a full-time player.