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After a challenging rookie season due to his surroundings, Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty is looking to hit the ground running in 2026 and establish himself as one of the top players at his position.

Last season, Jeanty dealt with former Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly changing his stance, Kelly’s firing, and a terrible offensive line. Despite all this going on around him, Jeanty put up respectable numbers for a rookie.

During the 2025 season, Jeanty played 770 total snaps for the Raiders, leading to a 70.4 overall PFF grade. The Silver and Black star also had 266 carries for 975 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Moreover, Jeanty averaged 3.7 yards per attempt and forced 61 missed tackles.

Meanwhile, as a receiver, he caught 55 passes on 68 targets for 346 receiving yards and five touchdowns.

Amid the Raiders’ ongoing OTAs, Raider Nation Radio’s Q Myers shared his observations of Jeanty, which might have fans excited for what’s to come this upcoming 2026 season.

“It’s hard to tell, and it’s only May, but Ashton Jeanty looks so fast,” Myers said on the May 29 edition of the “Raiders Squad Show.” “I looked over at one of our colleagues and said, ‘Dang, did he just get shot out of a cannon on that one?‘ He just looked incredibly fast.

“With that being said, take that with a grain of salt. The offensive line has no pads, and there’s no physicality. The same goes for the defensive line. It’s a lot easier to be fast when you know you’re not going to get hit. It’s a lot easier to be that guy. Plus, he’s fresh. He obviously took care of his body in the offseason and is ready to go.”

Ashton Jeanty Showing Confidence in OTAs

Moreover, Myers spoke about things that could translate over to the season. The radio host noted traits that he’s seeing from Jeanty heading into the running back’s second season in the league.

“He just looks very confident,“ Myers added. “He looks like he’s ready to go. I believe that this offensive blocking scheme they’re implementing is going to work really well for him. That’s what I’m excited about, and obviously the running back is going to get a lot of work this year. Clint Kubiak has alluded to that before.”

Raiders’ Ashton Jeanty Gets Big Prediction

Because the Raiders standout showed promise in a tough situation, Yahoo! Sports’ Charles McDonald has Jeanty as his breakout player for the 2026 season.

“It just can’t get that much worse than last year,“ McDonald said on the May 5 edition of “Football 301 with Nate Tice.” “I think Kubiak’s scheme will be an upgrade for him compared to what Chip Kelly had him doing last year. The passing game should be better.

“Whether it’s Kirk or Mendoza, they should be more competent there. The overall competency around him should improve. I think that should get him over 1,000 yards, and hopefully, he has a pretty big year because I’m not out on the talent yet.

“I thought last year still showed why he was viewed as a top prospect, even though the Raiders obviously should not have taken him where they did at the top of the draft. He is still excited about his future in the NFL and believes it starts this year.”