In his return to Allegiant Stadium during the second preseason game, Raiders rookie running back Ashton Jeanty selected sixth overall in the 2025 NFL Draft turned a rough start into a statement performance.
After finishing his debut with negative yardage, Jeanty bounced back impressively. He gathered 35 rushing yards and delivered a go ahead touchdown on just eight touches across two drives a sharp recovery from his week one struggles . According to Next Gen Stats, he recorded +6 rushing yards over expected, a dramatic improvement from the 7 mark in his debut .
The highlight came on his second rushing attempt of the game: Jeanty bulldozed through oncoming tackler Deommodore Lenoir, broke free around him, and pushed forward while carrying Ji’Ayir Brown for an additional yard or two, capping it off with a 13-yard touchdown run .
Postgame, Jeanty confidently declared, “I’ve arrived … and it’s time to keep going and make plays for this team,” via ESPN’s Ryan McFadden . Quarterback Geno Smith echoed the sentiment: “It fires me up just seeing the way he runs. He’s running through people, and he’s not shying away from contact. He’s going to be a special player.