The Las Vegas Raiders are gearing up for a major turnaround in their ground game, and rookie running back Mike Washington Jr. might just be the perfect fit to make it happen.

Last season, the Raiders had the worst rushing attack in the NFL, but new head coach Klint Kubiak is determined to change that. Known for building efficient, run-heavy offenses, Kubiak drafted Washington to form a dynamic one-two punch with star rookie Ashton Jeanty. The best part? Washington's college experience has him ready to hit the ground running.

Coming from a pro-style offense at Arkansas, Washington excelled in wide zone and inside zone schemes—the very system Kubiak plans to install. "I have a familiarity with it," Washington told reporters. "Running a wide zone at Arkansas really gives me an advantage coming in."

That familiarity is great news for Jeanty, who carried the load as a rookie on a struggling offense. Despite playing behind the league's lowest-ranked unit, Jeanty still racked up 975 rushing yards—780 of which came after contact. He also led the NFL with 43 broken tackles and ranked 7th in total carries with 266. But after three seasons of heavy usage at Boise State (750 carries) and over 1,000 total in four years, bringing in Washington to share the workload could keep Jeanty fresh and explosive.

With Washington's scheme knowledge and Jeanty's proven ability to create yards out of nothing, the Raiders' backfield is shaping up to be a force in 2026.