Las Vegas Raiders lose a player who could have made a key position battle even more interesting than it already is
The Las Vegas Raiders needed Chris Collier for their running back battle at the back end of the position group.
The Las Vegas Raiders placed running back Chris Collier on the injured reserve list during training camp, removing a player who figured to compete for the third running back spot behind Ashton Jeanty and Mike Washington.
Collier was reverted to IR after being waived with an injury designation earlier this week, meaning he no longer counts against the 90-man roster limit.
Collier’s role with the Raiders
Collier had a strong 2024 preseason, finishing with a solid showing in the final few games. He has appeared in eight NFL games since 2024 between the Baltimore Ravens and the Raiders, totaling five carries for 12 yards. He spent time on the practice squad and was expected to compete for a roster spot this summer.
The competition for that third running back role now falls to Roman Hemby, Dylan Lauby, and others. Hemby is an undrafted free agent rookie, and the Raiders could use some veteran presence in that room given the youth across the position group.
Why depth matters in Clint Kubiak’s offense
The Raiders are building their offense around a two-running back system under new head coach Klint Kubiak, the former offensive coordinator of the Super Bowl-winning Seattle Seahawks. Jeanty will get the bulk of the carries, but Washington, a rookie, will see a decent workload as well. Both are young. Jeanty is only in his second year, and Washington is a first-year player.
Kubiak is going to run the ball frequently. When you look at how running backs wear down over the course of a season, that third back becomes critical. The more a team runs, the more those backs start to break down, so depth is essential.
Collier could have been that insurance option. Whether the Raiders viewed him as a practice squad piece or a legitimate 53-man roster candidate remains unclear, but the injury takes that possibility off the table entirely.
What’s next for Collier and the Raiders
Collier is a RB with some explosiveness and talent that a team could have tapped into. That opportunity gets taken away from him for now. Hopefully he recovers soon and finds his way back onto the football field.
For Las Vegas, the focus shifts to evaluating Hemby, Lauby, and whoever else steps up during the remainder of training camp. With Kubiak’s run-heavy scheme demanding reliable depth, locking down that third spot is a more pressing priority now.
