This offseason, the Las Vegas Raiders departed from their old offensive system, featuring one running back receiving most of the carries to a running back by committee model to handle the team’s rushing duties. This has helped the team in more ways than one.
It has helped the Raiders save money and redistribute money to other positions, helping them improve their roster at positions other than running back while still enhancing the running back position.
The change in philosophy will also help the players and Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy in his first season in Las Vegas. The Raiders are featuring Zamir White as their feature back, with multiple other backs on their roster who can help them in various ways.
White showed his ability to carry the load last season with a mix of power and speed when called upon. Running back Ameer Abdullah brings experience and pass-catching ability out of the backfield. Veteran running back and new addition Alexander Mattison is essentially a combination of White and Abdullah, and the Raiders just added running back Dylan Laube in the NFL Draft.
Getsy likes the group but says it is hard to tell what they have in their group of running backs until they are live in action.
“I think it’s a really cool group,” Getsy said. “I think you have guys with kind of different backgrounds, different styles. But like I say all the time, I think I’ve said this too many times in my career: this isn’t the time of the year for backs, right?
“Backs got to put the pads on and then that’s really when you find out. And yeah, it’s fun to see them, and they’re fast, and they look the part, and they’re getting better out there at all their assignments, but we know that those types of players when they get the pads on a training camp, that’s when you really start to find out how much you really like that group.
“But I mean, they’re a really good group of guys. They work hard. They work together. They’re competitive with each other. And then, like I said, there is explosiveness in the group, there’s pass-catching in the group, there’s toughness in the group. So, there’s a really cool blend of guys in that room.”
