Oakland Raiders: 3 Standouts from Preseason Week 2 vs. Cardinals
1. Josh Jacobs, RB
In the first week of the preseason, we didn’t see a sign of first-round pick Josh Jacobs on the field for the Raiders offense. Expected to be a bell-cow back in Oakland right out of the gate, it stood to reason why Gruden would want to limit the number of carries that Jacobs would be getting in games where the results don’t matter.
On Thursday night against Arizona, though, the first running back selected in the 2019 NFL Draft made his debut in the silver and black and turned some heads right away. Gruden put the rock in the rookie’s hands right away on the first drive of the game and Jacobs made things happen.
Jacobs reeled off three impressive runs of six, eight and six yards on the first three offensive plays of the game. While his fourth carry was for just one yard, he finished the drive with four totes for an impressive 21 yards. More importantly, he looked the part in gaining those yards, running confidently, decisively and with great burst.
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Fans will certainly want to see more from Jacobs in the third game of the preseason but the first taste of the rookie running back in action was both a cause for optimism and plenty of fun. While he may not have been a workhorse in college, he looks like he has the chops to be just that for the Raiders rushing offense.