The Las Vegas Raiders' offense continues to be ineffective under Chip Kelly. Their 33-16 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football marked the fifth time in 10 games that the unit has scored 16 or fewer points, with each of the other four occurrences resulting in less than 10 points scored.
Each of their nationally televised games has resulted in brutal offensive showings, and the unit's 15.5 points per game and 269.0 yards per game are both the third-fewest in the league. While it is clear that the 2-8 franchise is going nowhere in 2025, Kelly has failed to consistently utilize his young weapons.
Player development should be the focus of the organization; however, it appears that the coaching staff has no interest in the growth of their young players. The Raiders' offensive coordinator once again did not get his young guys involved in Week 11, raising the question of how long he should remain in his role.
Chip Kelly continues not to gameplan around developing the Raiders' young weapons
Las Vegas lured Kelly away from the Ohio State Buckeyes this offseason with a $6 million annual payday that made him the highest-paid coordinator in NFL history. He has not lived up to his salary, however, as the offense has been a clear weakness all season long.
With just two wins through 10 games, it is clear that the franchise should be focused on developing its young weapons. Brock Bowers had a bounce-back game against the Cowboys and was a focal point of the offense after recording just one reception on three targets in Week 10.
The Raiders' rookie class, however, was not prioritized in a matchup with one of the league's worst defenses. While Ashton Jeanty was targeted eight times and had six receptions, he inexplicably had just six carries in the loss. Meanwhile, Jack Bech had just one target, which he hauled in for a 19-yard first-quarter reception, while Dont'e Thornton Jr. was not targeted at all.
Jeanty discussed the outing, where he tied for a season-low in carries and yards from scrimmage, while setting a new season-low in rushing yards.
"I don't call the plays. I mean, that's up to the guys upstairs. So, I just take whatever I get," Jeanty said. "I can't control (not getting the ball more)."
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The decision not to prioritize Jeanty, who the franchise selected sixth overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, is particularly baffling with how the season has turned out. The rookie running back was expected to be a focal point of the offense and should always get more than six carries at this stage of a lost year.
Bech and Thornton Jr., who were selected in the second and fourth rounds, respectively, should also be given the room to grow. It is clear, however, that the coaching staff is not concerned with the future and continues to insist on attempting to win now, despite not winning anyway.
Pete Carroll addressed the duo only having one combined target on Monday.
"They had their concepts that they were carrying out, like the one that Jack caught was one that we had done all week long," Carroll said. "We kind of felt really good about that. They hit perfectly just like we practiced it, but (Dont'e), he was in the plan, too, but balls just didn't go that way."
The head coach also addressed Bech playing just nine offensive snaps.
"If you noticed, we played a lot of tight ends. We played a lot of 12 and 13 personnel, and that takes away from the receivers," Carroll said. "We went to four receivers in the game plan this week. We were able to do that. So, it just cuts in on their opportunities when it happens, so they got to make the most of the ones they get."
Jeanty remains the only Raiders rookie who has played even 50% of the offensive or defensive snaps. His latest comments, highlighting Kelly's inability to get him the ball, will give more credence to the notion that the league's highest-paid coordinator is not the right man for the job.
Furthermore, while the Raiders did play a lot of two and three-tight-end sets on Monday, Tyler Lockett was second on the team in offensive snaps among wide receivers, trailing only Tre Tucker. While the latter is a part of the future, the former is 33 years old and not helping the team win right now.
There is no excuse for the coaching staff to prioritize Lockett's playing time over Bech and Thornton Jr. The inability to utilize their rookie class has been a major issue all season, and with the postseason clearly out of reach, things must change in Las Vegas.