Last Sunday, Ashton Jeanty, the Las Vegas Raiders running back and the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, faced a significant reduction in his workload during the game against the New York Jets. Jeanty carried the ball just twice, gaining only 9 yards, and participated in only 39.7% of the offensive snaps, a drop of over 13 percentage points from previous games.

In contrast, backup Mike Washington Jr., a fourth-round rookie, took center stage with a season-high 25 carries and a 60.3% snap share, marking a significant increase of over 25 percentage points.

During a media session, Raiders coach Klint Kubiak addressed this shift, stating, "I stand by what I said (Sunday) that we're going to need Mike, we're going to need Ashton, we're going to need Dylan (Laube). They're all part of our success, run and pass." Kubiak acknowledged Jeanty’s contributions in the passing game, where he caught 3 of 4 passes for 64 yards, contrasting his struggles on the ground, averaging just 3.1 yards per carry.

Kubiak suggested that the distribution of touches might fluctuate weekly, emphasizing that the team's approach would adapt based on performance:

It's always a moving target... things change every week.

Notably, Jeanty's decreased role followed his comments about the Jets' defense, where he expressed confidence in reviving the run game. Despite Jeanty's limited impact, the Raiders secured a victory, but it was primarily due to Kirk Cousins and the passing offense, as the rushing attack managed only 2.9 yards per carry on 33 attempts.