Dylan Laube sparks Raiders with special homecoming kick return TD vs. Jets

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The Las Vegas Raiders may want to find some sort of connection between running back Dylan Laube and wherever they have road games scheduled in the future.

He seems to do pretty well in those situations.

The Long Island native scored the first touchdown of his career a few weeks ago against New England just down the road from where he played collegiality and then had the most impactful game of his career in Sunday’s 38-33 win over the Jets at MetLife Stadium with friends and family in attendance.

“It’s crazy, man,” Laube said. “It’s really special here because it’s my true hometown.”

Laube, the league leader in kickoff return average, burst free down the left sideline and became the first NFL player to return a kickoff for a touchdown this season.

He reached nearly 21 miles per hour according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats.

“It’s so cool to be back home, and there’s a different kind of juice,” he said. “I know I have to bring it every time.”

He certainly did on Sunday. Laube had a big tackle on special teams in the fourth quarter and nearly blocked a field goal attempt in the first half, as well.

“I was so close,” he smiled. “It was a millisecond away.”

Laube has been one block or one missed tackle away from breaking a kick all season before finally taking one all the way on Sunday.

He said his goal is to be the best special teams player in the league, and he’s starting to make a legitimate case.

“That’s my guy,” running back Mike Washington Jr. said. “He’s special. He has a special talent and the ability to really accomplish something big in his career. But the energy he brings on a daily basis is so big for us. You see the football aspect of it, but it’s the type of person he is that is just different. He has that excitement and brings that joy to the game of football.”

Laube showed it off after the touchdown with so many loved ones looking on from the stands.

“I was going nuts,” he said. “I was fist-pumping. It was cool. My mom and dad were sitting right behind the bench so I saw them and gave them a little shoutout.”

He also acknowledged the current coaching staff for showing belief in him even though the first two years of his career had been short on results before they arrived.

“I just really appreciate how the special teams coaches trust me so much,” he said. “It’s been a rough couple of seasons. But this has been awesome. They are giving me a bigger role each week, and I have to study more, and that’s what I want.”

The work he has put in was a big reason he was chosen as the special teams captain for this week’s game.

He certainly delivered.

“It’s pretty self-explanatory,” special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis said before the game. “The kid’s really having a good year. He brings great preparation, and then it’s coming to life during the game. He prepares like that during the week, practices hard, studies hard, watches a lot of film, and he’s doing a great job for us.”

Laube said he’s just taking advantage of a good opportunity.

“It’s our scheme,” he said. “It’s our coaches. It’s our blocking. We’ve got 10 guys up front. Dareke Young had to seal the No. 1 (lane), which is very tough, and he did that so well. At the end of the day, you can’t score a return touchdown without great blocking.”

Still, Laube is the one making the work of his teammates pay off.

Coach Klint Kubiak was happy Laube finally got to score on a kickoff return after coming so close several times before.

It was even more special it came in a win in his hometown.

“I thought it was really cool for him to have that moment,” Kubiak said. “Dylan is a stud player for us. He continues to make plays, and as you continue to make plays, the expectations continue to rise.

“He has earned that.”

Contact Adam Hill at [email protected]. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.