Signing a contract with a club in the National Football League as an undrafted free agent is half the battle—the other half is getting onto the football field after preseason concludes. For Sincere McCormick, a talented running back from UTSA who signed with the Las Vegas Raiders following the 2022 NFL Draft, the latter half of his battle lasted for three years.
That battle ended this past Friday.
During his third season with the Silver and Black, McCormick’s efforts had finally paid off. Against the Denver Broncos in Week 12, the 24-year-old was tasked with running the football in a regular season contest for the first time in his career.
And once he carried the football for the first time in the big-leagues, he never looked back.
On five carries, McCormick rushed for 33 yards against a Broncos’ defense that allows the sixth-least rushing yards league-wide. The UTSA alum recorded two runs north of 10 yards, getting the Raiders their first run of 10-plus yards since Week 7.
This past Friday, during a Week 13 contest against the Kansas City Chiefs, McCormick picked right back up where he left off the week prior.
With an uptick in carries, something Antonio Pierce confirmed McCormick would get following his strong Week 12 showing, the third-year Raider notched 64 yards on 12 attempts. Once again, McCormick was able to take two handoffs at least 10 yards downfield.
On only 17 carries, McCormick has managed to pick up 10-plus yards on four occasions. This stands as the second-most in Sin City, sitting one behind Alexander Mattison‘s five runs of double-digit yardage, on 80 less rushing attempts.
On Tuesday, the Raiders signed their former undrafted free agent to the 53-man roster; a well-deserved reward.
Sincere McCormick, and his dominant last two weeks with the Las Vegas Raiders
McCormick hasn’t wasted any time becoming the biggest rushing threat in Sin City. It’s only taken him 17 carries to claim that title, in fact.
And, despite such a low total of rushing attempts through two weeks of action, McCormick is still managing to compete for league-highs in long-run categories since Week 12.
With four runs of 10-plus yards, only eight backs across the NFL have posted more carries resulting in double-digit yardage. Even fewer have outmatched McCormick’s pair of 15-yarders; the 6th-highest amount in this timespan.
Over the last two weeks, Pro Football Focus has given McCormick a rushing grade of 74.6. This stands as the ninth-highest grade at his position among players with at least 10 carries in the meantime.
As the season works towards its end, McCormick’s rushing attempts should continue seeing an increase. That’s especially true if Alexander Mattison misses more time with his ankle injury.
On Wednesday, Mattison was a limited participant in practice. His game-day status will help decide exactly how much more action McCormick partakes in against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 14.
*Top Photo: Kirby Lee
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