While training camp can be important for many players, there are some instances in which it’s not entirely vital for a player to be there. Take Josh Jacobs. He skipped camp while refusing to sign the franchise tender.
Once camp was done, he signed a one-year deal with the team and hit the practice field just in time to begin prep for the season opener.
The key for Jacobs was staying in shape while away from the team. Something he says he did.
Jacobs said he is at the same weight as last year but has more muscle. On his offseason conditioning away from the team: pic.twitter.com/P2MGwsBaHy
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) September 8, 2023
Jacob was very much the Raiders workhorse back last season, and it was a big reason he went on to lead the league in rushing.
The Raiders, of course, would love to get that kind of production out of him again this season, but Josh McDaniels was non-committal on whether they put the offense on his back again right out the gates.
“He’s just a great player,” McDaniels said of Jacobs. “And so we’ll see how it goes relative to overall the role and the usage and all the rest of that stuff. I think that’s much to be determined as we go into the game. We’re going to start with an idea of what we’re going to do, and then we’ll adjust as we’re kind of seeing everything play out.”
It’s more likely McDaniels already has a pretty good idea of how much they’d like to use Jacobs and just prefers not to say. That being said, if, for instance, if they were to give a heavy load to Jacobs early on and he started sucking air — the game IS at a mile high in Denver, after all — naturally there would be need to give him a breather and get someone else in there.
At this moment there’s no reason to expect anything but a full load for Jacobs.