The Las Vegas Raiders are spiraling into chaos, and their latest gut-wrenching loss might just expose the biggest blunder of the entire NFL offseason. On Sunday, the Raiders squandered a golden opportunity, falling 30-29 in overtime to the Jacksonville Jaguars and plummeting to a dismal 2-6 record. In a game ripe with missed chances and finger-pointing, one glaring issue stands out like a neon sign on the Strip: the baffling underutilization of rookie running back Ashton Jeanty.
Raiders insider Hondo Carpenter didn’t mince words when dissecting the defeat, zeroing in on Jeanty’s paltry 13 carries for just 42 yards. “That’s too low of a number,” Carpenter declared emphatically. “That number needs to be closer to 25. That’s an atrocious number. If I’m Pete Carroll… I’m telling the coaching staff to meet me back at headquarters, and I’m asking Chip Kelly, ‘What are you thinking?'” It’s a scathing critique that cuts to the heart of the Raiders’ offensive woes—why draft a star if you’re not going to unleash him?
Jeanty’s limited touches aren’t a one-off fluke. Over the last two games, he’s managed only 19 rushing attempts combined. Sure, Week 7’s six-carry dud in a 31-0 blowout loss gets a reluctant pass—it’s tough to pound the rock when you’re getting demolished. But in a nail-biter like Sunday’s overtime thriller, benching your top draft pick feels like malpractice.
Flash back to April, when the Raiders rolled the dice on Jeanty with the sixth overall pick, banking on his Boise State magic to revitalize their ground game. And what a college run it was—the 21-year-old phenom came agonizingly close to shattering Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record, amassing a jaw-dropping 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns. He was a human highlight reel, a force of nature that had scouts drooling over his potential to transform any backfield.
Yet, here we are, eight games into his pro career, and the translation to the NFL has been anything but seamless. Jeanty’s racked up 487 yards and three scores, but his 3.9 yards per carry average screams mediocrity. In five of his seven outings, he’s dipped below four yards per attempt, with his lone bright spot being a 138-yard, one-touchdown explosion on 21 carries against the Chicago Bears back on September 28. It’s not the blockbuster debut the Raiders envisioned when they staked their draft capital on him.
To be fair, Jeanty’s landed in a less-than-ideal setup. The Raiders’ offensive line has been leaky, the play-calling erratic, and the overall team dysfunction is Vegas-level drama. Patience might be warranted for a rookie adjusting to the league’s speed and physicality. But whispers are growing louder: Was this high-stakes pick a colossal misfire? In an offseason packed with bold moves and calculated risks, drafting Jeanty sixth overall is starting to look like the dumbest gamble of them all—especially if the coaching staff keeps treating him like an afterthought.
The Raiders have a quick turnaround, facing the Denver Broncos this Thursday. Will they finally feed Jeanty the ball and let him prove his worth? Or will this offseason regret continue to haunt Sin City? All eyes are on Vegas, where the stakes just got even higher.