Will Raiders Feel Effects of Losing Jacobs?

The Las Vegas Raiders will look a little bit different in the backfield in 2024.

Nov 26, 2023; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs (8) walks off the field after the Chiefs defeated the Raiders 31-17 at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

The Las Vegas Raiders will be without longtime starting running back Josh Jacobs for the first time since the 2018 season. 

Jacobs signed a four-year, $48 million contract with the Green Bay Packers this offseason, departing the Silver and Black after rushing for 5,545 yards and 46 touchdowns in five seasons. 

What will the Raiders’ rushing attack look like now that Jacobs is gone? Will they struggle without him next season? 

There’s reason to believe both could be true. Jacobs was a bell-cow back who was effective nearly every time he touched the football. At the same time, the Raiders have a third-year running back, Zamir White, ready to break out and be the team’s lead back. 

Jacobs carried the Raiders’ rushing attack in 2022, leading the league in rushing and making consistent big plays. It wasn’t the same in 2023 after an offseason of contract disputes with the team, and he saw his production drop off before an injury shortened his season. 

Jacobs is no longer in the picture. So, what will new Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy do? Will he try to recreate Jacobs’ successes as an every-down back with White? Will he take a running back-by-committee approach? 

If history is any indication, Getsy will choose the ladder. When he was the offensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears, he liked to have multiple running backs capable of taking a large number of carries. 

However, Getsy may not have the personnel to run that kind of scheme. Alexander Mattison is more effective as a pass-catcher, Ameer Abdullah may have too much tread on the tires, and rookie Dylan Laube may not be ready for that kind of workload in his first season. 

Is White ready to take on the volume of carries that Jacobs saw in 2022? Not many running backs are, but White can likely come close. 

White had 104 carries in 2023, and 84 of them came in the final four games of the season that Jacobs missed. With a full offseason to train and prepare as the Raiders’ top back, it’s probable White could see a major increase in carries, which should lead to a major increase in production. 

While a large faction of Raiders fans will miss Jacobs, the team may not suffer greatly without him. White is ready to step into his level of workload, and the Raiders have plenty of capable backs to spell him.

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