The Las Vegas Raiders now have a major hole to fill at running back. The NFL’s leading rusher from back in 2022, Josh Jacobs, has taken his talents to the Green Bay Packers during free agency.
It’s not necessarily a big surprise that Jacobs bolted from the Raiders. The two sides were unable to come to terms on a contract ahead of last season as Vegas placed the dreaded franchise tag on him.
In turn, Jacobs struggled big time this past season. After tallying a league-high 1,653 yards back in 2022, the Alabama product gained just 805 yards at a clip of 3.5 yards per rush. A lot of that had to do with Jacobs holding out in the offseason. He’s more than proven himself capable as a RB1. That’s for sure.
As new general manager Tom Telesco navigates through his first offseason in that role, the onus is going to be on him to find a starter-caliber running back.
Related: Las Vegas Raiders make big splash in NFL free agency
Las Vegas Raiders linked to Austin Ekeler in NFL free agency
Per Josina Anderson of CBS Sports, Vegas joins the Washington Commanders in being in on the Los Angeles Chargers’ star running back.
It’s not really a surprise given that Telesco signed Ekeler out of Western State when he was the Chargers’ general manager back in 2017.
Ekeler, 28, has since taken off as one of the better dual-threat running backs in the NFL. Back in 2022, he caught 107 of 127 targets for 722 yards. This past season saw Ekeler deal with injuries, limiting him to 14 games in the process. He still gained north of 1,000 total yards and six touchdowns.
- Austin Ekeler career stats: 4,355 rushing yards, 440 receptions, 3,884 receiving yards, 69 TD
If the Raiders were to sign Ekeler, he’d compete with youngster Zamir White for touches in the Raiders’ backfield. White, 24, put up 451 rushing yards at a clip of 4.3 yards per rush as a sophomore last season.