The Las Vegas Raiders surprised the NFL world by sending running back Josh Jacobs into the fray in the first quarter of a preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night.
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Usually, the clubs of the Goodell circuit do not use their starters so early in the preseason calendar, in order not to risk an injury.
“I’ve always thought it’s a good thing for the carriers to touch the ball during preseason,” head coach Josh McDaniels said after the game. There’s a lot going on when you get hit that you can’t fake in practice. I think all of our guys had the ball tonight [jeudi].»
Indeed, the five running backs of the Raiders in uniform for this duel obtained the opportunity to run in a 27-11 victory. Jacobs amassed 30 yards on five carries. He also caught two passes for 14 yards. He is currently competing with Kenyan Drake, Ameer Abdullah and youngster Zamir White for the starting job.
Jacobs is due to play the final year of his rookie contract in 2022. In the spring, the Raiders declined the option of a fifth year.
The 24-year-old had an excellent first NFL campaign in 2019, amassing in 2019, after being the 24th overall pick in that year’s draft. In 13 games, he had collected 1,150 yards and seven majors on the ground.
Last year, the University of Alabama product had 872 yards and nine touchdowns in 15 games.
