Offensive coordinator weighed in on what the running back brings to the offense, too
Las Vegas Raiders first-round pick Ashton Jeanty’s stance has been a hot topic of conversation since he started garnering attention as a Heisman Trophy candidate last season.
Unlike most running backs who have their knees bent pre-snap, Jeanty stands completely upright with locked knees in the backfield, drawing comparisons to Michael Myers from the horror movie series ‘Halloween’.
However, the sixth overall selection of the 2025 NFL Draft recently told Kay Adams that Raiders’ offensive coordinator Chip Kelly wants him to change how he positions himself before the play. During OTAs in Las Vegas on Thursday, May 29, Kelly cleared the air on the topic.
“Let’s get that clarified. Deland McCullough, our running back coach, is in charge of stances, steps, alignments, assignments and techniques,” the new play-caller explained. “So [McCullough] talked to [Jeanty] about that. I gave [Jeanty] an analogy of an athlete being in a bent knee position to make a play, and that kind of got blown [out of proportion]. I haven’t told anybody on this team to be in any stances because I don’t coach a position. But it’s a bent knee game.
“…In any athletic sport you’re playing, you’ve got to bend your knees. And if you’ve got to run a flat route on Fred Warner, you’d better be in a position to run, because that dude can fly. So, all we’re trying to do is put guys in positions to make plays. And he’s adapted really well from going from here to here, so it literally is about three inches. So, I really don’t think it’s that big a deal. But he’s awesome, and he’s such a coachable guy that you can do a lot of things with him. I think he can play in the slot, he can play in the backfield, he can do a lot of different things. So, he’s special.”
In addition to the comments above, Kelly provided some remarks on the rookie’s potential.
“Ashton is as talented of a back as a young guy coming into the league that I’ve seen,” the coach said. “He’s really special. His ability to sustain runs after contact, his contact balance is kind of a really rare quality. He’s got a low center of gravity, and I think it’s tough to get him down and normally the first guy doesn’t.
“And you look at all of the tape of his games last year, and it didn’t matter who he played. [Boise State] obviously played in the Mountain West, but when he played Oregon and he played Penn State, you look at how he performed in those games. And I think sometimes you get caught up in just looking at the numbers, but I think it was like 35 missed tackles he created in the Penn State game.
“Now, Penn State’s defense, [at Ohio State] we played against them, they’re outstanding. That was a little bit different league for Boise at that time, but not for Ashton in terms of what he did.
“…The one thing about him is he’s a really quick learner. He also had experience there with Dirk Koetter, who was his offensive coordinator in his last year. Dirk has been a long-time coach in this league, been a head coach in this league, and is a really, really good football guy. So [Jeanty] came in with a good basis and understanding. And so, he’s done a great job, really, really excited to work with him. I know everybody in the offensive staff was excited when Spy (John Spytek) made that selection.”
In Other Raiders’ Links:
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- Get to know Brandon Hunt: “Hunt is well respected around the NFL and has interviewed for multiple general-manager roles,” S&BP’s Bill Williamson wrote. “If he has quick success with the Raiders, Hunt could be a strong candidate for general-manager jobs in the near future.”
- Geno Smith, Kelly building rapport: “In many ways, it’s a dream come true,” Smith said Thursday via The Athletic’s Tashan Reed. “I’ve revered coach Kelly, and I’ve always thought he’s been an excellent coach throughout his career and a guy who I really wanted to play for, even back then when I was in high school.”
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