Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Zamir White basks in training camp spotlight in Jacobs’ absence

Originally posted on Las Vegas Chronicle | Last updated 8/7/23

Raiders second-year RB Zamir White is enjoying the biggest opportunity yet of his short NFL career while star RB Josh Jacobs continues to miss camp as an unsigned, franchise-tagged player. White, 23, was a fourth round pick out of Georgia in 2022 and was a splashy selection for a new Raiders regime that declined Jacobs’ fifth-year option just prior to drafting White. Jacobs was arguably the most underrated player in all of the NFL last season considering how improperly forecasted his season was and his ultimate finish as the NFL’s total scrimmage yards leader.

But for now, with Jacobs temporarily out of the picture, White is finally getting a legitimate shot to show his skills as an NFL running back during Raiders training camp. The Athletic’s Tashan Reed recently profiled Zamir White, and Sanjit T shouted White out on X (formerly known as Twitter) as one of his favorite late-round sleepers for fantasy football leagues in 2023.

Zamir White is one of my favorite sleepers. But I really like Calvin Ridley and Treylon Burks.
— Sanjit T. (@Sanjit__T) August 1, 2023

The Raiders did little to add to their backfield this offseason despite the drama surrounding Jacobs and his contract situation. After White saw only 17 touches in 2022, the team seems to be preparing him to take over as the true No. 2 role behind Jacobs, and in the event of an even more dramatic turn of events that sees Jacobs leave the team, the Raiders could turn to White as a potential feature back.

Per Mike Florio of NBC Sports, the division rival Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos would be among the teams most interested in Jacobs if he becomes available. In the case of the Chiefs, their interest seems to be logical, considering that they have competed at the highest levels in the league with a relatively weak running back room for several seasons now.

In the case of the Broncos, a deal with Jacobs would form a one-two punch with RB Javonte Williams, who was a high draft pick in 2021 and is recovering from an ACL injury that resulted in additional damage to his knee. Jacobs would hypothetically take an immense amount of pressure off of the entire Broncos offense, which is in dire need of a bounce back season following their disastrous 2022.

This article first appeared on Las Vegas Chronicle and was syndicated with permission.

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