The Las Vegas Raiders will spend this offseason addressing several pressing needs. One has plagued them for many years.
In the 2023-24 season, the Raiders finished with the third fewest rushing yards of any team in the league. The next season, Las Vegas finished with the fewest rushing yards in the league, prompting them to use the No. 6 pick in the draft on running back Ashton Jeanty.
However, Las Vegas failed to add enough talent to their offensive line and offensive coaching staff and finished with the fewest rushing yards in the league again this season. Still, Jeanty broke the franchise rookie record for scrimmage yards.
The Raiders are sure to add to their offensive line, but they have recently added to the staff. League insider Tom Pelissero reported that the Raiders have added yet another coach to Klint Kubiak’s coaching staff.
“The Raiders are hiring Mario Jeberaeel as their offensive run game coordinator, per source. A Las Vegas native, Jeberaeel was most recently a defensive assistant with the Jaguars. Now he takes a key role on Klint Kubiak’s staff,” Pelissero said.
The Raiders hope Jeberaeel, and an improved offensive line will help get their ground game going. Earlier this offseason, Raiders General Manager John Spytek noted that it takes much more than just a talented running back to create a productive ground game.
“I know there’s been a lot of narratives out there that he didn’t have the season that maybe he deserved or you would expect from the sixth overall pick. Well, that’s fine, but it’s not just Ashton. There’s 10 other people that are out there with him, and it’s our job to put a great group of guys around him to help him realize his potential,” Spytek said.
Kubiak echoed a similar sentiment after being introduced as the Raiders’ head coach. The Raiders must fix their broken ground game, in addition to many other things.
“Very excited about his skill set and what he brings. I’ve got a lot of tape to catch up on, dude, but I saw you play a lot of snaps at Boise. Very excited about his talent. But the thing I would tell him and all his teammates is that it’s not just about one guy,” Kubiak said.
“We’ve got to get the line on the same page, we’ve got to get our quarterback to get the right run checks. We’ve got to get our receivers to go block for him so that we can get the play action going. But as soon as our players can realize that it’s a team thing, it’s not an individual thing, we’re going to be successful. I know we have those type of guys in our building right now.”
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