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Raiders Mailbag: How can rookies see more playing time down the stretch?

Nov 26, 2025 at 02:40 PM

Levi Edwards

Digital Team Reporter

Frank Ford from Missouri asks:

"What does Greg Olson offer this offense?"

The Raiders offense have been struggling mightily this season, ranking 30th in yardage and 31st in points scored. It was obvious to Pete Carroll that a change needed to be made, even with Kelly's track record of success at the collegiate level.

"I gave Chip a lot of leeway because he's got an extraordinary background and history," Carroll said Monday, "and he had such a phenomenal season coming out of Ohio State last year that we wanted to give him his due and all that. But, as we continue to grow and come together, we just couldn't get there."

When asked what Greg Olson provides as the team's new offensive playcaller, Carroll pointed to Olson's years of NFL coaching experience – which includes his previous stints as the Raiders offensive coordinator. From 2019-2021, when Olson was the Raiders OC, the team finished top 12 in yardage in each of those three seasons.

It's also worth noting the Raiders had a top 15 rushing offense in two of those three seasons.

"He's deep into what I'm looking for, and he understands it. ... We need to run the ball better, and we need to have the running game available to us," Carroll said. "I think I probably mentioned that last week ... short yardage, red zone, goal line, fourth quarter, all of those times that have historically been when you need to call on it, and then you have to orchestrate your game so that it fits that. And that's why the play passes are so important and the actions are so important, and keeping the quarterback clean, and minimizing the distances on third down. All of those things all fit together."

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Aaron Povio from California asks:

"Why not start rookies and give them some playing time?"

This is a question that's been posed by Raider Nation for weeks now.

While the team sits at 2-9, their 2025 draft class hasn't received many opportunities to get on the field. Outside of Ashton Jeanty, the rest of the rookies who suited up this past Sunday played a combined 19 percent of offensive snaps and 38 percent of defensive snaps along with tackle Charles Grant seeing one special teams rep.

While Caleb Rogers has been active the last couple of weeks, he's yet to play a down. Defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway was inactive against the Browns, a week after recording a fumble recovery against the Dallas Cowboys.

As questions persist regarding the availability of the young players, the Raiders head coach gave a blunt answer,

"If they can earn their way, yeah," he said. "If they can earn their way in practice and as we prepare, they're certainly going to get the look to show that they're worthy of getting out there."

Shelley M Vaden asks:

"How's Ashton Jeanty's ankle?"

The rookie running back tweaked his ankle near the end of the Browns game. But he said he's in good shape for Week 13.

"My body feels great. I'm ready to give it my all," Jeanty said Wednesday. "Whatever they give me, I'm just going to make the most of the rest of these games."

"I mean, obviously, lot of wear and tear on the body, but I do a great job of taking care of my body," he added. "The training staff does a great job at helping us. So, I mean, I feel good overall."

Hopefully he continues to stay healthy through the team's last six games of the year, as his usage could rise with Olson calling plays. The running back leads the team in scrimmage yards (825) despite only averaging 12.2 carries per game since Week 7.

"It's kind of too late in the season to come and change a bunch of things around," Jeanty said, "but hopefully we can just be more efficient with the ball and put points on the board."

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Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Darien Porter (26), linebacker Devin White (45), cornerback Darnay Holmes (30) and safety Isaiah Pola-Mao (20) go to make a tackle during the regular season home game against the Cleveland Browns at Allegiant Stadium.