Ashton Jeanty will be the centerpiece of the Las Vegas Raiders’ offense — come hell or high water. Head coach Pete Carroll will pound the rock, and Jeanty will be expected to set the tone in a ground-and-pound game that sets up play action and toughness up front.
Jeanty knows it, and he relishes the opportunity, especially in light of the NFL’s resurgence in relying on running backs. The Raiders joined that trend when they took Jeanty sixth overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, and the team hopes that Jeanty will help them kickstart a new era of winning.
How Does Ashton Jeanty Describe His Running Style?
Jeanty, the subject of a recent high-profile piece in GQ by Adam Caparell, spoke about how he attacks a defense.
“I don’t really shy away from contact, and once I make my read, I get north and south quickly. If you’re in the way, that’s your fault,” Jeanty said. “Everybody doesn’t like that. I don’t know why I like it. Maybe I’m a little bit psychotic.”
Ashton Jeanty Highlights at Boise State
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“They let me know every single day that I’m the guy,” Jeanty explained about the Raiders. “They’re counting on me to do some special things in this offense.”
Jeanty is part of the running back renaissance. For years, running backs have been devalued and considered easily replaceable. Analytics and rule changes have oriented the NFL more towards the pass; however, there’s been a shift back towards the run.
Backs like Saquon Barkley have reminded everyone how a dynamic and dominant back can take over a game, while Derrick Henry reminds people that running backs once effectively played well into their 30s.
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“Saquon’s done a great job at putting great things on display for the running back position and showing our value to the team by winning the biggest game possible,” Jeanty said.
“Not only that, there’s so many other great guys (at running back) like Christian McCaffrey, Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs. Me getting drafted as high as I did showed the value is coming back.”
That’s what the Raiders are counting on. Carroll’s offensive identity has always revolved around the running game, and for the Raiders, a team in need of a new culture and identity, getting back to basics is the best way to turn things around.
The Raiders’ first test comes Sunday against another team hoping to hit the reset button on its franchise: the Patriots. The Raiders and New England face off at 1 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, on Sunday, September 7. Then, we’ll see if his “angry” running translates to the next level.
