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Raiders Mailbag: Who could be in line for a breakout season?

Stephen Angelucci from Connecticut asks:

"What are the chances we can get a real smash mouth running game going?"

Being familiar with Luke Getsy and Zamir White, the chances are relatively high.

Getsy helped propel the Chicago Bears to be the top rushing attack in the league, totaling 5,413 rushing yards in his two seasons as their offensive coordinator. This included rushing for 173 yards against the Raiders defense Week 7 of last season. He's also prone to running 12-personnel on offense, which would put tight end duo Michael Mayer and Brock Bowers' run blocking abilities to the test.

White is in place to potentially have a breakout season after finishing 2023 on a high note. He compiled 397 rushing yards and a touchdown in the last four games.

"That built up a lot of confidence moving into this year, but last year was last year," White said during OTAs. "We've got to move on from that and just build off of this right now, what we've got going on now."

Plus, "smash mouth" properly describes White's play style, with his best trait as a running back arguably being his ability to initiate contact against defenders. In layman's terms, he loves running people over.

Kevin Bassi from California asks:

"What will it take for Tyree Wilson to emerge as an impactful starter and help the defense become great?"

Not only was there the rookie learning curve for Tyree Wilson last year, there's also the fact that he missed the majority of the offseason rehabbing a foot injury.

Health is wealth in any sport, so being able to put together a full offseason will likely make a huge difference for him going into Year 2. As for what it will take to produce a more impactful sophomore campaign, it will all come down to consistency.

"Coming in from college you think you've got everything figured out, but this year I just slowed back down, started taking the coaching and just come out here and work," Wilson said. "You gain respect by the actions that you put in, and it just really helped me take more steps up this year."

Robert Chieffo from New York asks:

"How is our Long Island running back Dylan Laube doing so far? We have a lot of high hopes for him here in Westhampton, NY!"

Greetings to The Empire State! I have some good news for you.

Dylan Laube has seemingly been making the most of his opportunities. The FCS product has shown his knack for catching the ball out the backfield and making plays in space. Not surprising considering he caught seven touchdowns his last season at New Hampshire. He's also immediately seen reps as a kick returner and gunner.

"Strain. That's it, he strains," special teams coordinator Tom McMahon said of his first impressions of Laube. "You strain, everything's going to take care of itself. He's strains. High, high give a darn meter. ... He strains in every single thing he's trying to do. It's that simple, one word."

While it's still early in the offseason, Laube is putting himself in a good spot heading into Training Camp.

Head inside Intermountain Health Performance Center to view photos from day eight of OTAs.

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