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(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Ashton Jeanty had a challenging rookie season for the Las Vegas Raiders. However, it wasn’t Jeanty’s doing, since former offensive coordinator Chip Kelly changed his stance, and the team’s offensive line wasn’t any good.
Nonetheless, Jeanty did record 1,321 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns during the 2025 NFL season, per StatMuse. With the offseason now underway for the Silver and Black, Jeanty had an opportunity to reflect on his rookie season.
“I wouldn’t say I exceeded my expectations,“ Jeanty said during a Feb. 5 appearance on “Up & Adams.” “My expectations are very high, but I think for the cards I was dealt, I think I did very well with them, and I think I was able to have a successful rookie year.“
Jeanty was an effective running back for Las Vegas despite what was stacked against him. However, if the Silver and Black can upgrade their offensive line, the team can see a completely different player.
Moreover, former NFL running back Maurice Jones-Drew recently shared how the Raiders should be using Jeanty next season.
“You have to find a way to find a coach that’s creative enough to get him in space and to get him running like Christian McCaffrey does, like Kyle Shannon does with Christian McCaffrey,“ Jones-Drew said on the Jan. 23 edition of “89 with Steve Smith and James Palmer.”
“So to me, that type of offense with that type of usage where he’s up at wide receiver, he’s in the backfield, he’s motioning, all this creativity stuff. Oh, he would excel in that.”
Las Vegas Should Be Happy With Ashton Jeanty Selection
Furthermore, Jones-Drew defended the Raiders for selecting Jeanty where they did in the 2025 NFL Draft, considering that if he can produce like the San Francisco 49ers’ star, it will be well worth the selection.
“I think he should have been a top five,“ Jones-Drew added. “He went at [No. 6]. So, I thought his talent was top five. But he’s a different player than [Jahmyr] Gibbs and Bijan [Robinson] and Saquon [Barkley].
“He’s not that type of guy, right? You have to understand his superpower is that he’s compact, right? He’s what, 5’8 [and] 215 [pounds], that’s imagine trying to get your arms around a guy like that whose legs are huge.”
Raiders Urged to Sign Marquee O-Lineman in Free Agency
Free agency will be key for the Silver and Black, who will have the second-most cap space in the NFL this offseason, per Over the Cap. One of the marquee offensive linemen set to hit the open market is the Baltimore Ravens’ Tyler Linderbaum.
As a result, former Raiders offensive lineman Lincoln Kennedy believes that Las Vegas need to do whatever it takes to land Linderbaum in free agency.
“I’m throwing a bag of money at Tyler Linderbaum,“ Kennedy said on the Feb. 3 edition of “Raiders Squad Show.“ “I’m throwing a ton of money. What do you need? Tell me a check that will make you happy to come over for Raiders. That’s just a start, right? But there are plenty of guys out there that I would definitely look at, and I have no problem with accepting and throwing a ton of money out there.”
PFF gave Linderbaum an 80.2 overall grade for the 2025 season. He recorded a 63.4 pass-blocking grade, good for 22nd among the 40 eligible centers, and an 83.7 run-blocking grade, which puts him fourth among the 40 eligible centers.
If the Raiders can somehow convince Linderbaum to sign with them in free agency, it will be a major step in Las Vegas, ensuring that the run game will look vastly different for Jeanty next season.
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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