Raiders' Carroll Says Ashton Jeanty Was 'Jacked Up' for NFL Debut, Can Be 'Way Better'

Las Vegas Raiders coach Pete Carroll feels Ashton Jeanty can be "way better" than what the rookie running back showed during his Sunday NFL debut.

Jeanty recorded 19 carries for 38 yards and a touchdown, while catching two passes for two yards, in the Raiders' season-opening win over the New England Patriots.

"Ashton, he was a little, he was hyped. He was jacked up," Carroll said at the 7:00 mark of his Monday press conference. "He would tell you, I would think, that he wished he would have been a little more patient on some reads and things like that.

"That will come. He didn't look like that in preseason. This game, being out there and being called on to play, carry the ball 19 times or whatever, it was a little bit different for him. And he'll play way better. He'll see things more clearly. I know he's a little frustrated by that."

Jeanty averaged 3.1 yards per carry during the preseason, a rate that dropped to 2.0 yards per carry in Week 1.

Some of the responsibility for that decrease could be directed to the Raiders' offensive line. Jeanty finished his NFL debut with 38 total rushing yards but 44 rushing yards after contact, per ESPN's Field Yates.

"We need to be more accurate with our calls in targeting. The timing of working together, the double teams and when you can come off double teams to go to the next level, that takes some time," Carroll said Monday about his interior offensive line.

The Raiders showed their confidence in the No. 6 pick of the 2025 draft by playing Jeanty in 86 percent of the team's Week 1 offensive snaps, per Pro Football Reference.

Carroll will hope that high usage, potentially behind a stronger effort from the offensive line, can lead to more production when Jeanty and the Raiders return to action next Monday against the Los Angeles Chargers.