The Las Vegas Raiders invested heavily this past offseason to upgrade their offensive line and improve their run game. Las Vegas signed center Tyler Linderbaum to a historic three-year, $81 million contract.
Moreover, the deal includes $60 million in total guarantees and an average annual salary of $27 million, making him the highest-paid interior offensive lineman in NFL history. Nonetheless, it was the price the Raiders decided to pay to ensure their run game would be among the best.
Ashton Jeanty will look to benefit from Linderbaum being on the Silver and Black. With Linderbaum now leading the offensive line, Jeanty spoke about having the former Baltimore Ravens center helping clear running lanes for him.
“The energy he brings every single day, I think it starts with that,” Jeanty said in an Aug. 9 video about Linderbaum. “You could tell he just loves to play football. He’s just a baller, and he comes out and he’s consistent every single day. It’s real easy to run behind him.”
Last season for the Ravens, Linderbaum recorded a 79.8 overall PFF grade. Moreover, the center registered a PFF pass-blocking grade of 63.4 and a run-blocking grade of 83.2.
Linderbaum also allowed 26 total pressures in pass protection, giving up two sacks and one hit to opposing pass rushers. Furthermore, he also received five penalties during the season.
Ashton Jeanty Gets Blunt on Raiders’ Running Game in 2026
Furthermore, Jeanty expects a better run game from the Raiders this 2026 season, given that Linderbaum is in the fold and other aspects of the team’s offensive line are also healthy.
“I think as far as the run game, I think it’s going to be more explosive this year,” Jeanty added. “Obviously, we got some more guys added to that O-line. Kolton [Miller] is healthy, [Jackson Powers-Johnson] is healthy. So it’s going to be a way more explosive run game for sure.”
Despite the challenges, Jeanty put up respectable numbers for the Raiders. Even with all that going on, Jeanty still recorded a 70.4 overall PFF grade while playing 770 total snaps for the Silver and Black last season.
Jeanty carried the ball 266 times for 975 rushing yards and five touchdowns as he averaged 3.7 yards per attempt on the ground while forcing 61 missed tackles as a runner.
Q Myers Gives Big Outlook for Ashton Jeanty in 2026
Many are expecting a major season from Jeanty with an improved offensive line and head coach Klint Kubiak now in charge of the Silver and Black’s offense. In a July 31 interview with Ari Meirov, Raider Nation Radio’s Q Myers put out the expectations for Jeanty heading into his second season.
“I just think that the coaching and that offensive line are going to do a lot of the heavy lifting,” Myers told Meirov. “Everywhere that Klint Kubiak has been, you’ve seen a successful run game. You saw how the Seahawks won the Super Bowl.
“Obviously, they had the strength of their defense, but the Super Bowl MVP was the running back, right? So I do think that you’re going to see a much better Ashton Jeanty as far as, you know, yards per carry.”
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