Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek just revealed how he may want to build his roster through free agency and the draft
One of the more important things for the Las Vegas Raiders to establish in 2025 is a ground game, which was the league's worst unit in 2024. Getting guys like Pete Carroll and John Spytek should have that fixed. The Raiders finished 2024 with 79.8 rushing yards per game, which ranked 32nd in the league […]
One of the more important things for the Las Vegas Raiders to establish in 2025 is a ground game, which was the league's worst unit in 2024. Getting guys like Pete Carroll and John Spytek should have that fixed.
The Raiders finished 2024 with 79.8 rushing yards per game, which ranked 32nd in the league last year. This was a unit that not only had a poor running back room headlined by Alexander Mattison and Zamir White but also didn't have a good run-blocking scheme that fit the player's best attributes. With Chip Kelly and Pete Carroll, that likely won't be the case.
That doesn't mean the Raiders will instantly jump up to the best running game in the league next year because there is a lot of work to be done. However, they should certainly be better in 2025. But, is that really saying much?
Their best running game came at the end of the year when Sincere McCormick was toting the rock. He played in five games but started his last two, and finished with 138 yards on 39 attempts, which was good for 4.7 yards per carry. But, he ended up getting hurt. He was the only bright spot in the running game.
Now, don't get me wrong, Alexander Mattison had some good moments where he scored touchdowns, but the efficiency on the ground wasn't great. He and White had the 134th and 136th best rush EPA, or Rush Expected Points Added at -33.3 and -37.6 for White, according to NFL Pro. To make things a bit more clear, they just simply weren't that good.
Simply put, the Raiders need to address the run game in both free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft, whether it be in the trenches or the running back position. Luckily, there is a lot of talent in both position groups, specifically in the draft.
"I think there's a lot of really good players at that [running back] position, yeah," GM John Spytek said during the 2025 NFL Combine. "And I think it's a really critical position as well. I mean, you saw what the Philadelphia Eagles did this year, right? I mean, Saquon [Barkley] is a different animal, but the emphasis is on the run game and the physicality that comes with it. And for running backs, I mean, I think people get really caught up on speed, which is great. If you can find Chris Johnson who runs 4.28 or whatever he ran, and nobody can catch him, awesome. But to me, it's more about the guys that have great instincts, and great vision and are hard to get on the ground. If they can run 4.3s, even better, but I've seen a lot of great ones that run the 4.5s and 4.6s that are just hard to tackle and that set the tone for the team. So we're looking for that."
Spytek also said during a scrum with Raiders beat writers and reports that weren't videotaped, that he plans to emulate a bit of the Eagles' recipe that helped them beat the Kansas City Chiefs. And, honestly, that's how it should be. That's the way the Raiders are going to compete in the AFC West against the Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, and the Denver Broncos, who are all very physical in the trenches.
A lot of media and fans think this means that Spytek wants to take Ashton Jeanty early in the draft. But, that's just not the case. There really isn't a reason the Raiders should do that when they have so many other needs that are far bigger, and this draft class is deep at the running back position, like five or six rounds deep.
It should be fun to see how Spytek and Carroll address the draft and free agency on that front.
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