Although Josh Jacobs’ absence has been looming over them the entire offseason, the Las Vegas Raiders have continued to operate normally as they gear up for the upcoming 2023 season.
Jacobs has been away from the team since the offseason began due to the two sides being apart in contract negotiations. The Raiders franchise tagged Jacobs in order to keep him around, but the running back has shown no signs of interest in signing the one-year deal.
There’s no denying how much Las Vegas’ offense would suffer if Jacobs decides to miss games, but in the meantime, they’ve been doing the best with who they have on the roster. Jacobs’ absence has meant more opportunities for players like Zamir White whom the Raiders listed as their starting running back on their first official depth chart via Paul Gutierrez of ESPN:
And we have the first #Raiders depth chart of the 2023 preseason… pic.twitter.com/1Ofus14G6J
— Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) August 9, 2023
White played sparingly behind Jacobs in his rookie season last year, appearing in 14 games but only being granted 17 carries for 70 yards. He also wasn’t targeted in the passing game.
While White isn’t anything close to the caliber of Jacobs, he has done well for himself in training camp so far as he’s handled the bulk of the first-team snaps. As far as the receiving element goes, he’s admitted he needs to work on it though he’s got solid veterans in Ameer Abdullah and Brandon Bolden to learn from.
The Georgia product is a capable fill-in for Jacobs for the time being, but the Silver and Black are well-aware that if they hope to truly compete with the rest of the league, they’ll need their star running back in the fold. Hopefully, Jacobs and the Raiders are able to reach a resolution soon and move past this saga.
Davante Adams not happy Josh Jacobs has been missing from training camp
While it’s an unfortunate situation, people like Josh McDaniels continue to support Jacobs’ decision to hold out and miss training camp. These types of things could hurt a locker room as players can feel like their teammates are abandoning them, but running backs like Jacobs have really taken it personally when it comes to being undervalued by teams.
Jacobs’ absence is notable because of what he means to the offense which is why Davante Adams has begun to show signs of frustration. Adams considers Jacobs to be the best back in the league, so it’s easy to understand why he’d want him around.
