The Raiders will have to get used to playing without Josh Jacobs for a while. The NFL’s leading rusher has yet to sign his franchise tag and won’t be appearing at practice until he does. How long will that last? No one seems to know for sure.
In the meantime, second-year running back Zamir White is getting an extended look as the RB1 for the Raiders. And according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, White saw most of the action at running back with the first team during Tuesday’s practice:
With Josh Jacobs still away from the team, Zamir White and Abdullah split time as the starting running back. White took most of the carries and Abdullah was called upon more in pass-catching situations.
The Raiders are expected to take a by-committee approach to the position as long as Jacobs remains unsigned, but, ideally, White will be able to separate himself.
If Jacobs’ holdout continues into the regular season, the Raiders are expected to use a running back-by-committee approach. But the hope is that White can be the lead back and handle most of the responsibilities of the RB1.
White didn’t see much action as a rookie, totaling just 17 touches in 2022. However, the Raiders are excited about his potential and believe that a second-year breakout season could be coming. Look for White to see a lot of action in the preseason as the Raiders try to figure out how to be productive and efficient on offense without Jacobs.
