One of the reasons Josh Jacobs was a sure-fire first-round pick coming out of Alabama was his ability to play on all three downs. Not only was he a dynamic runner, but he showed the talent as a blocker and as a receiver to be a feature back.
After a fantastic rookie season, Jacobs is looking to become a bigger weapon in the passing game after only catching 20 passes last season. Earlier this week, Jacobs set a goal of 60 receptions for himself, and that seems doable if he can average even just a few more targets per game.
Head coach Jon Gruden seems to agree with Jacobs’ willingness to become more involved as a receiver. In his most recent media session, Gruden had the following to say about Jacobs entering Year 2.
“He had a big year last year. He’s got to stay healthy. We need our feature back down the stretch. We were in a playoff stretch last year and didn’t have him. I think he’s got to stay wire-to-wire healthy and we have to get more out of him in the passing game, more on the field on third down. He had a great year last year and we expect more of him from this year.”
If Jacobs can see anywhere near 60 receptions this season, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he approached 2,000 total yards. The Raiders have made it clear that their offense will be run-heavy and they plan on getting Jacobs as many touches as he can handle.
Look for the former Alabama star to see close to 350 touches this season if he can stay healthy for a full 16-game schedule.
