The Raiders may have gone into the preseason planning to feature Ashton Jeanty as the main man in the backfield, but Mike Washington Jr. has made that idea a little less simple.
Washington has turned in two eye-catching outings already. He opened with 63 yards on six carries in last week’s game, then followed that up against the Houston Texans with 56 yards on nine attempts. That second performance included a 33-yard run in the first quarter, the kind of burst that gets noticed fast in August.
Head coach Klint Kubiak has seen enough to like what Washington is bringing so far.
“I see a very talented young man with a bright future ahead of him that is extremely humble and hardworking,” Kubiak said via Sam Warren of The Athletic. “So if he just keeps that mindset, it’ll keep you better. He has plenty that he needs to improve on, and he knows that.”
That kind of production gives the Raiders something useful to think about once the regular season starts. Jeanty can still be the focal point, but Washington’s play suggests he could carve out a real role and help keep the workload manageable.
That’s the kind of setup plenty of teams hope for: a lead back who doesn’t have to carry everything alone, plus a capable backup who can step in without a drop-off. In Washington’s case, the added appeal is that the Raiders found him in the sixth round, which makes his early preseason impact look even more valuable.
Now the question is simple: when the games count, how much of the field does Washington actually get?
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Aidan OConnell May Have Just Ended A Raiders QB Debate
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For a team still sorting out its quarterback pecking order, that kind of finish carries real weight. OConnell has been working to lock down the No. 2 job behind Kirk Cousins, and a poise-filled comeback drive in the preseason is exactly the sort of showing that can tilt a debate in his favor, even if the final call is still waiting to be made. [Read more 🡒]