Breaking Down Why Jeanty Has Had a Slow Start
The Las Vegas Raiders are limping into their week 8 bye after being beaten by the Kansas City Chiefs embarrassingly. With all of their talent they have on offense, they couldn't muster up a single scoring drive in a disastrous beatdown where they lost 31 - 0.
The Chiefs thoroughly outclassed them, and Pete Carroll and the rest of the Raiders coaching staff have some serious decisions to make regarding who their starting quarterback will be moving forward.
First Round Rookie Grades
Josh Edwards is a sports writer for CBS Sports, and he wrote an article grading each rookie taken in the first round based on how they've performed seven weeks into their career. For Ashton Jeanty, his lackluster start to his career earned him a B grade.
"Jeanty is on pace to break 1,000 rushing yards on the season, but there is no question that he is underperforming relative to running backs previously taken top 10 overall. Before the season, I looked at the history of running backs taken in that range to project Jeanty's output", said Edwards.
Jeanty has had some good performances in his young career, but overall, the Raiders haven't been utilizing him the best to actualize his potential. It's a mix of a poor supporting cast and questionable coaching decisions that have led the sixth overall pick to not even be near contention for the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
He was criminally underutilized in the Raiders' blowout loss to the Chiefs, only carrying the ball six times for an egregious 21 yards total rushing yards. A career low for him, and what should be the lowest of his career. The Raiders have to have more faith in him as a playmaker and feed him the ball; even if it's inefficient at first, he'll eventually break free and rush for a huge gain.
"The rookie out of Boise State is a bit more difficult to evaluate because he plays a position dependent upon the supporting cast. Jeanty ranks sixth among running backs with at least 50 rushing attempts in tackle avoidance rate (23.4%) and fifth in yards before contact (.55), according to TruMedia. He has done a good job in pass protection".
After their bye week, the Raiders need to run their offense through him. He's too talented to be given less than 10 or even 15 carries a game. They need to give him different looks in the passing game as well. He's a generational talent that they aren't using, for some reason.
Washington Commanders may already be looking to replace a struggling star CB
The calls for the Washington Commanders to replace Marshon Lattimore as one of the starting cornerbacks are getting louder by the week.
A Bust of a Trade?
In Week 7, the Dallas Cowboys attacked Lattimore for much of the game and came away with two penalties called against the Commanders' cornerback to go along with four completions against him for 71 yards. While he did have a pass defense and didn't give up a touchdown, it was his second-worst game of the year, at Green Bay in Week 2, being slightly worse, and for many, it has solidified that trading for him in the first place was a bust.
Eyeing the 2026 Draft
Moving up four spots in the 2026 NFL Draft order after losing to the Cowboys, Washington currently stands at No. 11 if the draft were to happen today, and at least one league media employee thinks general manager Adam Peters should have his eye on a cornerback to replace Lattimore then, if not sooner.
"Past second-round picks Trey Amos and Mike Sainristil will likely start at outside corner and in the slot, respectively, in 2026. The Commanders should still be scouting the cornerback position since Marshon Lattimore has a big cap number in 2026, the final year of his deal. Also, Noah Igbinoghene and Jonathan Jones are impending free agents," draft analyst Chad Reuter wrote for NFL.com in an update on the draft order and five biggest needs for each team.
Cornerback isn't the top need for the Commanders, according to Reuter. Instead, he has edge holding down that spot. Yet, he still ideates that a pass defender may be the way to go in round one.
So, who are some of the prospects Peters could be looking at?
Tennessee Volunteers cornerback Jermond McCoy is currently the highest ranked player in the group on Pro Football Focus' 2026 NFL Draft big board.
The junior had an 87 overall grade in 2024 with four interceptions while allowing just a 53.6 passer rating against. Thus far in 2025, McCoy hasn't played a game yet as he recovers from a torn ACL suffered while training back home in Texas over the winter.
By the Numbers
33 NFL cornerbacks have played 231 or more coverage snaps this season, and according to PFF, Lattimore is the lowest graded of them all. To make matters worse, Lattimore is also the third-most penalized of the group, one off the pace set by Deommodore Lenoir of the San Francisco 49ers and Andru Phillips of the New York Giants who both have one more penalty than the Washington defensive back.
The highest graded corner in the group of 33 from the Commanders is rookie Trey Amos (No. 12), who has a 66.3 overall grade through seven games, followed by Mike Sainristil and his 50.9 grade, ranking him No. 29.
