COSTA MESA, Calif. — Zamir White showed in the final month of last season that he could replace Josh Jacobs.

But what about the whole season?

White, the Las Vegas Raiders’ fourth-round draft pick two years ago out of Georgia, gets his chance this season. Jacobs, who led the NFL in rushing in 2022 before seeing his production dip last season after a contract holdout, signed with the Green Bay Packers during the offseason.

The soft-spoken White will let his play on the field determine whether he is ready.

“Keep your head in the game, work and grind,” White said.

That’s what he did when Jacobs was not only the unquestioned starter but also the workhorse back who does the opposite of how the position is often played today.

When Jacobs rushed for 1,653 yards two seasons ago, he touched the ball nearly 400 times. Last year, he touched it another 270 times before injuring his quadriceps last month.

To that point, White had rushed for just 37 yards in his short career with the Raiders, raising questions about whether the club should look elsewhere for a replacement for Jacobs.

Then White got his chance.

With Jacobs out of the lineup, White rushed for 397 yards in the final four games. That production showed the Raiders they had a player who could be the lead back, and it went even further in getting Jacobs out of Las Vegas after five seasons.

But not only was it a small sample size, it remains to be seen whether the team will stick with an offense that demands so much from one running back or whether it will join the rest of the league and opt for a more balanced approach.

The latter approach seems likely after the Raiders signed Alexander Mattison in the offseason, who spent the previous five seasons in Minnesota. Mattison followed a similar path to White, playing four seasons behind Dalvin Cook.

The Vikings elevated him to the starting position last year after firing Cook, who later signed with the New York Jets. Though Mattison ran for a career-high 700 yards, he managed just 3.9 per carry and failed to score a touchdown on the ground. The Vikings released him after the season.

Another veteran, Ameer Abdullah, is entering his 10th season, a player who is effective at catching passes out of the backfield. In his two seasons in Las Vegas, Abdullah has 44 total catches compared to 19 rushes.

“You’ve got two veterans that are in the system,” offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said. “Things just come naturally to them. Z’s first time in the system, he’s picking it up better every day. When he gets that rock, there’s some cool explosiveness. I can’t wait to see people jump off of him when we get pads on (Tuesday).”

Getsy also pointed to Dylan Laube, a sixth-round draft pick out of New Hampshire this year. He has shown in practice that he could land a spot on special teams and possibly as a backup running back.

“Man, that guy is special,” coach Antonio Pierce said. “He just walks around with this Long Island smile and talk, and he’s determined. And the one thing is he surprises you with his speed. He’s really good with the ball after the catch, even when he’s running the football. He’s going to be a tough guy, because you can see that in practice.”

But at this point it is White’s turn.

At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he fits into Getsy’s offense to develop a physical running game. White also has the speed to turn short gains into big plays, running the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds at the 2022 NFL scouting combine.

That kind of combination could make Raiders fans forget about Jacobs easily, or at least miss him less.

That’s if White plays 17 games, just like he did the final four of last season. In true style, he won’t talk about it much, which in some ways makes White stand out even more on a team with a lot of strong personalities like Maxx Crosby, Christian Wilkins and Davante Adams.

“Just being in the background and just looking at things and laughing about them is pretty cool,” White said.

The Raiders need him, at least on the field, to play up front this season.

Can he do it? Stay tuned.