NFL teams love themselves a running back on a rookie contract.
They get all the talent on some not-yet-beat-up legs, and it all comes for a cheap cost.
That’s not the only reason that the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers used first-round picks in April on running backs. But it didn’t hurt the cause.
The Raiders took Ashton Jeanty out of Boise State after his Heisman runner-up season.
The Chargers took Omarion Hampton out of North Carolina after consecutive seasons of dominating the ACC.
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But now with the regular season here, neither AFC West team appears to be leaning into the rookie blueprint.
On Monday night, Jeanty finished with 11 carries for 43 yards. He didn’t even get the two-minute drill at the end of the first half, which instead went to Dylan Laube.
On the other side of the same game, Hampton had eight carries for 24 yards. And he lost a fumble late which won’t help his cause for more playing time.
Neither had put up a massive Week 1, either.
There’s still time for more production of course.
But the Chargers appear committed to letting Najee Harris split time with Hampton.
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And the Raiders appear committed to throwing a whole lot with Geno Smith.
Neither recipe fully allows the rookie RBs to spread their wings and shine.
But until something changes, it appears this is the status quo they’ll have to deal with.
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