Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll made it clear the team isn’t going to rely solely on running back Ashton Jeanty in 2025.
The team brought in veteran Raheem Mostert, who is expected to be the main back behind the rookie. However, it appears the Raiders are going to have two strong options to help Jeanty out.
When asked for his opinion about which Raiders player was the team’s MVP during the offseason, Sports Illustrated’s Hondo Carpenter mentioned running back Sincere McCormick.
“I was asked the other day on a national show, and somebody said ‘Who do you think was the offensive MVP… for the Raiders this offseason?’” Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast.
“No pads, but I’ve never seen Sincere McCormick run the way he ran. If you go back and watch last year’s podcasts before training camp and after training camp, I said that I believed in him, but he had to do more. I saw it in OTA minicamp. Running mad at the world,” Carpenter added.
While Carpenter has heaped praise on McCormick for his offseason performance before, we would’ve expected a different answer, like quarterback Geno Smith, or even rookie wide receiver Dont’e Thornton, who has been very impressive.
McCormick grabbed the reins of the Raiders’ running back job late last season and flashed before his season came to an end due to an ankle injury.
During a season in which the Raiders couldn’t get anything going on the ground, the Texas-San Antonio product managed to rip off 4.7 yards per carry and enjoyed more success than any other Raiders back who toted the rock.
McCormick still has a battle on his hands, though, as both Zamir White and Dylan Laube are also looking to secure a roster spot and role. However, Laube didn’t help himself with a quiet year in 2024, and White was woefully disappointing last season and has been the subject of trade rumors.
If we’re making a prediction right now, the Raiders’ top-three backs will be Jeanty, Mostert and McCormick. And, while Mostert has the best shot to be the No. 2, it’s clear McCormick isn’t going to go down without a fight.
