Dylan Laube is starting to make himself impossible to ignore in Las Vegas.
Klint Kubiak made that clear Monday, calling the Raiders running back “a really good protection back” and “an ascending player.” Kubiak also described Laube as someone the team can count on on third down, in passing situations and on special teams.
The clearest reason Laube is creeping into a bigger role is simple: he does the dirty work. Kubiak pointed to his pass protection as a big part of why he’s getting on the field, and he also praised what Laube has done on special teams. That combination has earned him trust, which matters in a backfield that badly needs stability.
That trust showed up in Sunday’s 45-17 loss at New England. In the fourth quarter, Mike Washington Jr. was on the field when the Patriots used a timeout.
Laube then came in and punched in a 2-yard touchdown run with 10:54 left, one of just two Raiders touchdowns in the game. After a reporter noted that Kubiak had said Sunday he wanted No. 23 to get more opportunities, Kubiak explained that the play had been installed with Laube in mind and that he wanted “the guys that got the practice rep.”
The broader issue for Las Vegas is hard to miss. The Raiders ran the ball 18 times for 38 yards Sunday, a 2.1-yard average, and they’re sitting among the bottom five teams in the league in rushing at 82 yards per game. Ashton Jeanty’s ankle injury has only made the depth chart thinner, putting more of the burden on Laube and Washington.
Protection has been a problem, too. Las Vegas gave up three sacks and was outgained 536 yards to 306.
There’s also the money side of the story. The Raiders entered the offseason with the most cap space in the NFL and spent heavily on players like Kwity Paye and Tyler Linderbaum, but so far that investment hasn’t translated into much help in either the run game or the pass rush. Laube, by contrast, is a lower-cost piece who can still carve out real value if he keeps doing what the staff asks.
For now, the expectation is that Laube holds onto his third-down work when the Raiders host Buffalo at 1:25 p.m. PDT Sunday. If his role grows, short-yardage and goal-line snaps look like the most obvious places for it to happen.
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