{"id":402987,"date":"2025-09-28T06:40:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-28T06:40:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/402987\/"},"modified":"2025-09-28T06:40:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-28T06:40:12","slug":"raiders-elevate-two-tight-ends-amid-michael-mayer-injury","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/402987\/","title":{"rendered":"Raiders elevate two tight ends amid Michael Mayer injury"},"content":{"rendered":"

The post Raiders elevate two tight ends amid Michael Mayer injury<\/a> appeared first on ClutchPoints<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Las Vegas Raiders<\/a> left FedEx Field last week with more than just a 41-24 loss to the Washington Commanders. Rookie RB Ashton Jeanty\u2019s stat line sparked concern<\/a>, as he was repeatedly hit behind the line of scrimmage.<\/p>\n

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According to ESPN\u2019s Ryan McFadden, Jeanty was contacted at or before the line on 11 of his 17 carries. Through three games, that number jumps to 57% of his rushing attempts.<\/p>\n

For a sixth-overall pick expected to ignite the ground game, those figures highlight a bigger problem: Las Vegas\u2019s offensive line ranks dead last in run-block win rate. Unless changes come quickly, Jeanty\u2019s rookie season risks being defined more by survival than by breakout performances.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, depth issues are surfacing elsewhere<\/a>. ESPN\u2019s Adam Schefter reported that the Raiders have elevated tight ends Albert Okwuegbunam and Carter Runyon from the practice squad.<\/p>\n

The move comes as starter Michael Mayer<\/a> nurses an injury, leaving Las Vegas shorthanded at a position already vital to Chip Kelly\u2019s scheme.<\/p>\n

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Okwuegbunam, a veteran with size and red-zone ability, offers insurance, while Runyon brings versatility as both a blocker and pass-catcher. Together, they represent necessary reinforcements as the Raiders prepare to face the Chicago Bears in Week 4.<\/p>\n

Despite last week\u2019s lopsided score, the Raiders did show late fight, outscoring Washington 14-7 in the fourth quarter<\/a>. Sustaining that energy is the challenge, particularly with Jeanty fighting uphill battles on nearly every carry.<\/p>\n

Kelly\u2019s offense thrives on balance, but without consistent run blocking, even creative play-calling struggles to mask deficiencies.<\/p>\n

Former NFL running back Maurice Jones-Drew suggested that rookie tight end Brock Bowers\u2019 role is indirectly affecting Jeanty\u2019s production.<\/p>\n

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With no clear No. 1 receiver stretching the field, defenses can crowd the box. \u201cWhen your tight end is your number one, there is no one to push guys outside.<\/p>\n

\u201dEveryone is trying to stop the run,\u201d Jones-Drew said on the 89 Podcast. He praised WR Trey Tucker\u2019s three-touchdown outing as a possible step toward loosening coverage, but the bigger question remains: can the Raiders diversify their offense enough to help Jeanty thrive?<\/p>\n

Statistically, Jeanty has managed 144 rushing yards, but 145 of those are after contact, a telling sign that he\u2019s creating every inch on his own. Without more help up front or on the perimeter, both he and Bowers risk underperforming.<\/p>\n

For now, the Raiders hope that adding bodies at tight end and finding ways to open space can keep their offense afloat.<\/p>\n

Related: Roger Goodell weighs in on Raiders owner Tom Brady conflict of interest debate<\/a><\/p>\n

Related: Bears vs. Raiders bold predictions for Week 4 of 2025 NFL season<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The post Raiders elevate two tight ends amid Michael Mayer injury appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Las Vegas…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":402988,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2065],"tags":[13924,1303,797,391,7,1744,393,2455,2454,12036,11435,6851,6,525,111],"class_list":{"0":"post-402987","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-las-vegas-raiders","8":"tag-albert-okwuegbunam","9":"tag-ashton-jeanty","10":"tag-brock-bowers","11":"tag-chicago-bears","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-las-vegas","14":"tag-las-vegas-raiders","15":"tag-lasvegas","16":"tag-lasvegasraiders","17":"tag-line-of-scrimmage","18":"tag-maurice-jones-drew","19":"tag-michael-mayer","20":"tag-nfl","21":"tag-raiders","22":"tag-washington-commanders"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115280559290923728","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402987","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=402987"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402987\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/402988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=402987"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=402987"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=402987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}