Raiders training camp: Zamir White impressing coaches

While the Las Vegas Raiders would surely prefer that star starting tailback Josh Jacobs would be in training camp, there has been a silver lining for the franchise as he has stayed away from the team in a contract dispute.

With Jacobs away, the Raiders have gotten a long look at second-year running back Zamir White. The 2022 fourth-round pick has been running with the first-team offense since OTAs. Las Vegas Josh McDaniels said this week that he and the coaching staff has been impressed by White.

“Zamir has made a lot of progress in every area. He caught the ball last night out of the backfield,” McDaniels said. “He knows who he’s responsible for in protection. He’s chipping in slamming on the edges when he’s responsible to do that to help the tackles. He’s took great care of the football and protected it very well, which is a huge thing for us and our team, and he runs downhill. He’s physical - there was some plays last night again where maybe it’s a two-yard run, but it’s a five-yard run. Or it’s a four or five yard run, and it’s a seven-yard run because he’s got a great finish and forward lean, he makes extra yards on contact most plays. So, he’s just continuing to progress and improve, and the more he plays, the better he does.”

White, a Georgia product, has had mixed success in the preseason. He has 83 rushing yards on 23 carries. He has one catch for nine yards.

White had just 17 carries as a rookie, for 70 yards. While Jacobs is expected to return to the team, look for White’s carry load to increase some this season, so this extra work should prove beneficial for both him and the team.