Josh Jacobs trade rumors: Raiders coach Josh McDaniels says team has ‘no desire’ to deal running back
It’s rare for high profile players to see meaningful action in early preseason games.
So when running back Josh Jacobs saw 11 snaps, rushed the ball five times and caught two passes in the Raiders’ preseason opener against the Jaguars, it wasn’t long before speculation arose as to what that meant for the former Pro Bowl running back.
The leading speculation was that the Hall of Fame game served as a showcase for a potential trade and that the Raiders could be looking to flip Jacobs.
What’s the latest in Jacobs trade rumours? Coach Josh McDaniels shared an update on Monday.
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Josh Jacobs deals in rumours
When asked to start his Monday press conference, McDaniels didn’t dance around the question of whether the team was actively shopping for Jacobs: No.
“We have a lot of faith in JJ and he made good use of his opportunities, which is what we were hoping for and he did. We have no desire to do that [trade him] at all,” McDaniels said.
McDaniels explained that the team wanted to bring Jacobs and the other running backs onto the field because he felt they didn’t have much of a chance to simulate the regular season during training camp and practice.
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“To give them the opportunity to actually be attacked, to take care of the football and get used to a new system, honestly, I think that’s the goal,” said McDaniels.
The Las Vegas freshman coach noted that there were some players who were unable to play due to rehab injuries or who were individually selected not to play. Quarterback Derek Carr and wide receivers Davante Adams and Hunter Renfrow sat out the game. Four starters on the offensive line played during the game and four running backs saw action.
A total of five running backs – Jacobs, Zamir White, Austin Walter, Kenyan Drake and Ameer Abdullah – played against the Jaguars.
Raiders running back depth chart
In the first release of the unofficial depth chart by the Raiders, Jacobs remained the running back.
This is how the top 6 developed:
- Josh Jacobs
- Brandon Bolden
- Kenyan Drake
- Ameir Abdullah
- Zamir white
- Brittany Brown
- AustinWalter
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It shouldn’t be a surprise to see Jacobs as the team’s running back. Although his fifth-year option was declined by the team, Jacobs was a Pro Bowl running back in 2020 and finished second in voting for AP Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of his first two wide seasons but had just 872 yards on 217 carries with nine touchdowns in his third year in the league.