Coming off a monster rookie season, running back Josh Jacobs is looking to establish himself as one of the league’s best running backs. But for him to do that, he will need to stay healthy for a full 16 game season.
Entering the year, you can certainly make the case that Jacobs is the team’s best player. He graded out as Pro Football Focus’ second-ranked running back last season and looked dominant as a runner. If he can improve as a pass-catcher, nothing is stopping him from becoming the best running back in the NFL.
In a recent piece by ESPN and their beat writers, they predicted who will be the top-100 players for the 2020 season. Surprisingly, only one Raiders’ player appeared on the list and that was Jacobs. Take a look at what Paul Gutierrez had to say about Jacobs entering the season:
“In rushing for a franchise rookie record of 1,150 yards, Jacobs set a high bar for himself. Then he went even higher, saying he wants to catch 60 passes in 2020. That’s unlikely, though Las Vegas is betting on his continued ascent as a premier feature back. His preternatural field vision and deceptive power make it a winning wager.”
The Raiders have designed an offense that suits Jacobs’ skillset. They have a talented fullback in Alec Ingold and one of the biggest offensive lines in the NFL. It’s clear that Jon Gruden wants the offense to run through Jacobs and the team will use him to grind out the clock.
Assuming the Raiders’ defense can help keep them in games, Jacobs should be in for a monster workload this season. Don’t be surprised if we see multiple games this season where Jacobs touches the ball 30 or more times. He’s clearly the team’s best player and they want to use him early and often this year.
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