The Raiders added a lot of offensive firepower in the recent NFL draft.
First-round wide receiver Henry Ruggs III, third-round wideout Bryan Edwards and third-round wide receiver/running back Lynn Bowden Jr. will give the Raiders passing attack more speed and big-play potential.
Yet Raiders head coach Jon Gruden says his philosophy on offense isn’t going to change.
The Raiders ranked 13th in the NFL in rushing in 2019 and 11th in rushing attempts per game (27.3) and Gruden wants to continue playing smash-mouth ball with second-year running back Josh Jacobs and fullback Alec Ingold.
The Raiders have invested heavily in an offensive line that can open holes, and the team has three good tight ends in Darren Waller, Foster Moreau and Jason Witten. Gruden wants to make use of what he has.
“We want to use three tight ends at a time, no disrespect to the receivers, but we’re going to put three tight ends out there,” Gruden told Kyle Martin of the team’s website. “Moreau, Waller, Jason Witten, and we’re going to run it in play-action, and we’re going to play old-school football. We have a fullback, so we’re going to use a two-back set with Josh Jacobs and Ingold.”
That doesn’t mean Gruden isn’t eager to use all that new speed on the outside, however. There will be times when the Raiders may have no fullback and no tight ends and have four wideouts.
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“We have the ability now, I think, with our personnel to adapt on a weekly basis to attack whoever we’re playing, and play aggressively,” said Gruden.
As a rookie, Jacobs was outstanding in 2019. Even while missing three games, he carried 242 times of 1,150 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 4.8 yards per carry. He could be even better in 2020.
