Pete Carroll had plenty of praise for an unexpected Raiders running back.
Pete Carroll Singles Out Forgotten Raiders RB With Strong Remarks originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Las Vegas Raiders had the worst rushing attack in the NFL last season. So, new general manager John Spytek and head coach Pete Carroll utilized the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on generational running back prospect Ashton Jeanty.
Jeanty is expected to be the workhorse back right away in Las Vegas, but Carroll spoke to the media on Tuesday and singled out a forgotten Raiders running back with strong remarks.
"I'm really happy with the running back group. The variety of styles with the guys, I love. We have different kinds of makeups of guys. Zamir (White) kind of stands alone," Carroll said. "He's the biggest (and) the strongest of the group, and he really runs tough. It's all over the film from his past, he's running at guys, he's attacking downhill, and I love that he brings that to us."
White became the Raiders' full-time starting running back before last season after former general manager Tom Telesco did not re-sign All-Pro Josh Jacobs in free agency. Instead, he paired White up with Alexander Mattison, a former Minnesota Viking.
He had an impressive four-game stretch at the end of 2023 under then-head coach Antonio Pierce, so Telesco felt comfortable with essentially promoting White and supplementing him with Mattison.
Unfortunately, White mustered just 183 rushing yards in 2024. He only played in 8 games before missing the rest of the year with an injury. White averaged just 2.8 yards per carry for the Las Vegas offense.
Zamir White singled out by Pete Carroll at Raiders training camp
After White's injury, Sincere McCormick filled in for the Silver and Black and played admirably. He has garnered plenty of hype this offseason behind Jeanty and veteran free agent addition Raheem Mostert.
The former fourth-round pick from Georgia has hung around on the Raiders' roster for years. White collected most of the praise from Carroll in Tuesday's press conference as well, which could mean that he is in for a bigger role than expected in Chip Kelly's offense.
Related: Ex-Raiders HC Jon Gruden Reveals Plan to Return to Coaching
Related: Maxx Crosby Compares Ashton Jeanty to Brock Bowers, Geno Smith for One Key Reason
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Football
