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Many of the expectations for the 2025 NFL season hinge on the presence of Ashton Jeanty, the top running back available in the NFL Draft, whom Tom Brady's Las Vegas Raiders selected to try to turn around a team that was the worst in rushing yards.
But much has been said about the characteristic stance of the former Boise State star, who finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting, with some needing to explain the reason behind his change-or at least shift the focus to another culprit.
Chip Kelly Clears Up Ashton Jeanty's Stance Change
It was none other than Chip Kelly, the Raiders' offensive coordinator, who stepped forward to clarify all the rumors, stating that he was not the one who requested the change for the team's soon-to-be star running back in the season.
During his college career at Boise State, Jeanty was known for his unusual stance, but after being drafted, he was seen in practices adopting a more traditional one: knees bent and shoulders squared, as running backs typically do.
During the team's OTAs, Kelly revealed that the running backs coach was responsible for this change.
"Let's get that clarified," Kelly said Thursday. "Deland McCullough, our running backs coach, is in charge of stances, steps, alignments, assignments, and techniques, so he talked to him about that. I gave him an analogy of an athlete being in a bent knee position to make a play. ... I didn't tell anybody on this team to be in any stances because I don't coach positions."
Moreover, the coordinator went on to explain the importance of adopting this more traditional stance, saying it's a minor adjustment before the play begins.
Kelly continued to emphasize the importance of bending the knees in the stance, noting that it's just a small body adjustment before the play starts.
"It's a bent knee game," Kelly continued. "... In any athletic sport you're playing, you've got to bend your knees. If you've got to run a flat route against Fred Warner, you better be in a position to run because that dude can fly. You know? So, all we're trying to do is put guys in positions to make plays. He's adapted really well from going from here to here. It literally is about three inches, so I really don't think that is that big a deal. But he's awesome, and he's such a coachable guy."
Over 14 games, Jeanty led the nation with 2,601 rushing yards on 374 carries, scoring 30 touchdowns with an average of 7 yards per carry.