After what has been a dreadful season, the Las Vegas Raiders will have to go back to the drawing board at multiple positions during the 2025 offseason, with running back among them.
Las Vegas went into the season with a duo of Alexander Mattison and Zamir White, but neither player has done much to cement themselves as a long-term solution. The latter has been particularly disappointing, and while Mattison has been better than White, he's on a one-year deal and isn't likely to be Las Vegas' starter in 2025.
Either through free agency or the draft, the Raiders need to upgrade the running back position. One potential option that will be on the open market is Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb, who is in the final year of his contract.
In a recent article suggesting landing spots for Chubb in 2025, Sports Illustrated's Evan Massey believes the Raiders could be one of them.
Coming into the 2024 NFL season, things were expected to be better for the Raiders. Many thought they had a good chance to work their way into the playoffs. That has not been the case.
Once again, Las Vegas has been a poor team. They will head into the offseason looking to figure out a way to turn things around. Bringing in a legitimate starting quarterback and signing Chubb could be a nice step in the right direction, especially with them badly needing a better ground attack.
When healthy, Chubb has been one of the best running backs in the league after he was a second-round pick of the Browns in 2018. A four-time Pro Bowler, Chubb has notched four 1,000-yard seasons, including three with over 1,200 yards.
But injuries have been a concern for Chubb, who missed four games in 2020, three in 2021, and then 15 in 2023 after he suffered a gruesome knee injury. The Georgia product is back healthy this season and has 73 carries for 222 rushing yards and three touchdowns, but is only averaging 3.0 yards per carry.
Assuming he can return to his pre-2023 injury form, Chubb would provide a big upgrade for the Raiders, who have been abysmal on the ground this season. Not only will Las Vegas need an upgrade in the backfield, but Chubb can help take pressure off a young quarterback the Raiders draft.
But simply upgrading the running back position won't be enough, as Las Vegas' offensive line has been poor in run-blocking.
The Raiders' willingness to sign Chubb will come down to price, but he shouldn't be that expensive. After all, he'll be 30 next season, which is the magic number for running backs breaking down. That will likely hurt Chubb's market.
But even if the Raiders are interested in him, there's a very real scenario where Chubb wants to go to a contending team after years of losing and misery in Cleveland. The Raiders won't check that box.
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