Tag: rushing leader

Josh Jacobs set to change Las Vegas Raiders jersey number

Josh Jacobs to return to college No. 8 with Raiders in 2023

Former Alabama RB, [autotag]Josh Jacobs[/autotag], continues to ascend every single year he spends with the Las Vegas Raiders. In 2022, he reached new heights as he was crowned the NFL rushing champion by leading the league in rushing yards in his fourth season in the league.

Jacobs was the No. 24 overall selection in the 2019 NFL draft and chose to wear No. 28, the closest available number to his college No. 8. NFL rules formerly prohibited running backs from wearing specific numbers, including single digits and teens. However, in the last few years, the NFL has altered its rules to allow players to be more flexible with their numbers and will even allow players to wear No. 0 in 2023.

Today, the Raiders announced that Jacobs would be switching back to No. 8, which he wore while with the Crimson Tide. A very clean look for one of the best players in the league.

Jacobs was franchise tagged this offseason and has one more guaranteed year in Vegas, but he is a key part of the Raiders plan moving forward. The Raiders moved off of long-time starting quarterback, Derek Carr, this offseason, and with a new QB in the system, I think we will see even more of Jacobs this upcoming season.

When you start to list the best Alabama players in the NFL, there is no question that Jacob’s is firmly in the mix with guys like Derrick Henry or Minkah Fitzpatrick.

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Former Texas running back listed on PFF’s All-Decade Top 101 players

Former Texas legend Jamaal Charles was listed as one of the top 100 NFL players of the last decade.

Pro Football Focus will be releasing a list of the top 101 NFL players from the 2010’s. From Monday to Thursday of this week, each section will feature roughly 20 players who have been ranked in order by production, efficiency and performance.

While PFF strives to do their best to vote on these particular players in terms of all positions created equal, playoffs and playing time will also factor in. Realistically, some talented players whose careers were overlapped between decades may appear lower on the list than others.

While only the back end of the list has been released thus far, a former Texas legend cracked the top 100. Running back Jamaal Charles was listed at No. 86, just before wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders.

According to PFF, Charles’ speed and production over the last few seasons of his career were enough to land him on this prestigious list.

“One of the fastest running backs to play the game, Jamaal Charles had track speed that would break angles and statistics because of how difficult he was to hit, let alone tackle. Though the decade caught only the last few seasons of his career, the sample size for running backs is lower than it is for most positions. And even in those seasons, Charles averaged 5.3 yards per carry, 2.5 of which came after contact. He forced 157 missed tackles on 1,151 carries and generated a first down or touchdown on 26% of his carries.”

After being selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft,  his career didn’t begin to take off until the tail end of the 2009 season. All it took was one game to remember his name. Against the Denver Broncos in Week 17, Charles rushed for 259 yards on 25 carries, breaking the Chiefs’ single-game rushing record.

He never looked back, racking up countless All-Pro seasons. Although Charles had brief stints with the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars beginning in 2017, he ultimately retired on May 1 of 2019 after signing a one-day contract with the Chiefs. To this day, Charles remains the Chiefs’ career leader in rushing yards.

As a true freshman at Texas, Charles saw playing time in all 13 games, including the BCS National Championship. However, it was his junior season that sticks out most.

Charles led the Big 12 Conference in total rushing yards (1,619) and total rushing touchdowns (18). It was impressive enough to forego his senior season and begin his professional career.

Keep an eye out on several other Longhorns to crack the list later this week.