The Raiders may be heading into cutdown day with a problem they haven’t exactly been known for lately: too many running backs worth keeping.
That’s a sharp turn for a team that finished with the NFL’s worst rushing offense in each of the last two seasons. Yet the 2026 preseason has pushed Las Vegas into a very different conversation, one where the backfield looks crowded enough that somebody useful could still get squeezed out.
Ashton Jeanty sits at the top without question. He played only the opening series of the preseason and has otherwise been on the sideline with the starters, which tells you everything you need to know about his place in the hierarchy.
Mike Washington Jr. has been the biggest surprise behind him. He’s flashed in a way that looks increasingly real, piling up six carries for 63 yards in one outing and nine carries for 56 yards in another. He’s also broken two big plays and helped in the passing game, which only strengthens his case.
Dylan Laube added another strong push Thursday night. After a quieter opener, the third-year pro ran six times for 37 yards and a touchdown against the Houston Texans in preseason game two, while also hauling in a 14-yard pass out of the backfield. His night ended before Dare Ogunbowale or Roman Hemby even got on the field.
That leaves the real roster squeeze at the bottom of the room. The Raiders are also carrying a fullback, so there simply may not be room for five halfbacks on the 53-man roster.
Ogunbowale has made a persuasive argument. He came in late, but he brings special teams value, veteran presence and what the article describes as a captain-esque voice in the room.
He also already knows John Spytek from his Tampa Bay Buccaneers days. Against Houston last Thursday, he ran four times for 35 yards and scored on a 19-yard touchdown.
Hemby has done enough to stay in the conversation, but not enough to separate himself. The undrafted rookie posted 27 rushing yards on six carries, good for 4.5 yards per rush, and added a three-yard catch out of the backfield. That’s respectable work for a UDFA, but the issue is simple: he hasn’t matched Laube or Ogunbowale.
With Jeanty and Washington Jr. expected to take the bulk of the carries, Hemby needs to win a different lane - pass-catching, pass protection, special teams. So far, he hasn’t stood out there enough to force the issue.
That’s why Laube and Ogunbowale look like the safest bets to make the roster when the numbers get tight. Both can catch the ball, both hold up in protection, and both have experience across special teams roles.
Hemby’s best-case path may be the waiver wire and, if things break right, the practice squad. Unless he changes the picture in practice this week or in the preseason finale against the San Francisco 49ers, he could be the odd man out.
For a Raiders team that hasn’t had this kind of depth at running back in a while, that’s not a bad problem. It’s just one they’re not used to having.
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Raiders Camp Battle Could Decide Whether This Secondary Finally Improves
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Darien Porter, entering his second season, is trying to hold off rookie Jermod McCoy for a starting spot next to Stokes. McCoy comes in with a little extra uncertainty after pre-draft knee injuries, so this competition is about more than just pedigree or draft status. For Las Vegas, it is also one of the most important jobs on the roster, because the answer there will go a long way toward showing whether the offseason changes were enough. [Read more 🡒]