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Klint Kubiak Doesn’t See Ashton Jeanty as a Lead Back
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- Klint Kubiak Doesn’t See Ashton Jeanty as a Lead Back
In Week 8, Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak decided to change up his backfield. Ashton Jeanty was relegated to a pass-catching role, while rookie Mike Washington handled the vast majority of the work on the ground.
Now all eyes are on how Kubiak will split playing time going forward. It would seem unlikely that Washington gets 23 more carries than Jeanty in another game. A more even split would make sense. But Jeanty's days of being treated as a star might be over in Las Vegas.
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"I think it's always a moving target, where your team is at," Kubiak said when asked about the backfield share. "Who is playing the best ball at the time? It's a 17-game regular season where things change every week. They've been changing at guard. It changed up front defensively. It changed at corner. That's the NFL. We have a young roster, and we are going to give guys opportunities to see what fits us best. But your 11, whether you're playing really well or not playing well at all, it's always going to change a little bit."
Kubiak's quote is fairly benign. But he compared Jeanty's role reduction to what the Raiders have done at right guard, defensive tackle and cornerback. None of those positions are occupied by a player taken sixth overall like Jeanty was in the 2025 draft.
At right guard, the Raiders have cycled through Jackson Powers-Johnson, Caleb Rogers and Trey Zuhn. Powers-Johnson was a second-round pick and has disappointed three different coaching staffs. He could be on his way out of Las Vegas after this season. Rogers and Zuhn were both selected in the third round and are viewed as backups, not starters.
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On the defensive line, the Raiders have cycled through numerous defensive tackles. Las Vegas likes to rotate in game to keep everyone fresh. None of those players are in the top 50 of yearly pay among defensive tackles. Tonka Hemingway, who has been one of the better interior linemen in Las Vegas, was a fourth-round pick.
At cornerback, the Raiders have tried Darien Porter, Hezekiah Masses and Jermod McCoy. None of those players were drafted higher than the third round, and Masses and McCoy are rookies.
In Kubiak's mind, Jeanty is on the same level as cornerbacks or offensive linemen taken in the middle rounds of the draft. He is not a star back taken in the top 10. Jeanty's production backs up Kubiak.
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Washington ran for 83 yards on Sunday in his first chance to be the lead back. Jeanty hasn't topped 83 in 21 of his 25 career games in the NFL. Jeanty was one of the least efficient backs in the NFL last season and has managed to be even worse this season.
Jeanty is still going to have a role on this team. He has been productive as a receiver on a team devoid of actual wide receivers.
"I stand by what I said that we're going to need Mike. We're going to need Ashton. We're going to need Dylan (Laube)," Kubiak said. "They're all part of our success, run and pass. Ashton made huge plays for us in the game yesterday. In the pass game, in protection. Phenomenal in protection like he's always been. It was the way the game went yesterday. Mike got more carries. Going forward we're gonna be counting on all three of those guys."
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The Raiders are not going to give up on Jeanty. But he will have to earn his touches, rather than get them by default because of his draft stock.
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This story was originally published by Athlon on Nov 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
