Because of an unsettled contract situation, running back Josh Jacobs missed the Las Vegas Raiders’ offseason program, training camp and preseason. The former Alabama standout didn’t have his first practice with his teammates until Aug. 30.

That didn’t keep them from electing Jacobs as one of their team captains for the 2023 season, which kicks off on Sunday against the Denver Broncos in an AFC West game.

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Las Vegas coach Josh McDaniels described Jacobs as a “really good influence on his teammates.”

“His personality is infectious,” McDaniels said. “His awareness, he’s in the moment every single part of the day – meetings, walkthrough, at practice. It doesn’t matter what the period is, he’s working all the time to get better. He pushes himself and then demands that from his teammates. Couple that with the fact that he’s a great player, he has a tremendous amount of respect from our team already. He was voted a captain. And he’ll continue working all the way up until kickoff to make sure he’s ready to go to do his part on Sunday in Denver.”

But with such a short runaway for his takeoff into the 2023 campaign, how much will Jacobs play during Sunday’s season-opener?

“We’ll see how it goes overall relative to the role, the usage and all the rest of that stuff,” McDaniels said. “I think that’s much to be determined as we go into the game. We’re going to start with an idea of what we we’re going to do, and then we’ll adjust as we’re kind of seeing everything play out.”

Jacobs said he would be ready for the rigors of playing running back in the NFL when Sunday arrived.

“I feel fresh,” Jacobs said. “Hopefully, I get a lot, but I don’t know really what they’re thinking — how much they want to use me and how much it’s smart to do coming in with me not being here. …

“For me, less hits is better. You know what I mean? I get hit enough. But I came back at the same weight that I played at last year, and I look bigger. I added muscle, so I think I’m in a good position.”

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When Jacobs led the NFL in rushing last season with 1,653 yards, he ran for 253 yards and two touchdowns on 52 carries and caught eight passes for 82 yards in two victories over Denver.

During seven career games against the Broncos – all victories for the Raiders – Jacobs has 721 yards and nine touchdowns on 154 rushing attempts and 158 yards on 15 receptions.

“You just have to rally around the ball and gang-tackle him,” said Denver cornerback Patrick Surtain II, another former Alabama standout. “… He’s hard to bring down. He’s looking for contact and those yards after contact. It’s a pretty tough task because he’s such a great back. But we’ve got a plan and the guys that can stop him.”

Jacobs will start 2023 with 4,740 career rushing yards. That’s the 22nd-most in NFL history through the first four seasons of a player’s career and the most for any NFL player from an Alabama high school or college in that span. The most NFL rushing yards for a player with Alabama football roots through five seasons is 5,937 yards by former Crimson Tide standout Shaun Alexander from 2000 through 2004 with the Seattle Seahawks.

The Raiders and Broncos are set to kick off at 3:25 p.m. CDT Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.