It’s no secret the Raiders run game was simply horrid in 2014. Neither Maurice Jones-Drew nor Darren McFadden were able to successfully move the ball on the ground, and it greatly hindered the Oakland offense.
The Raiders run game was ranked dead last in the league last season with only 1,240 yards, averaging just 3.7 yards per carry and just 77.5 yards per game. Oakland running backs also had 10 fumbles, with four lost over the course of the season.
Both McFadden and Jones-Drew suffered injuries late in the season, which led to the debut of Latavius Murray. He was able to provide a spark on this Raiders offense and break through for a substantial gain in yards, moving the chains and creating more than a one-dimensional pass heavy offense in Oakland.
The running back appeared in 15 games, but only started in three of those games. Murray had 424 yards and two touchdowns, while averaging 5.2 yards a carry. His stats may not jump out at you, but Murray played in electrifying fashion, and created some excitement and motivation for his teammates.
While he provided some spark and excitement in the run game, there are minor injury concerns with Murray, and he simply didn’t play enough to show or prove that he is a starting back in this league. With this being a position in need of depth, so Reggie McKenzie brought in a few more to compete in training camp for a roster spot in 2015.
An interesting acquisition for the upcoming season is Trent Richardson. The Cleveland Browns drafted Richardson third overall rand in his rookie season he rushed for 950 yards and had 11 touchdowns. His stats went downhill from there, and he greatly struggled with the Indianapolis Colts.
Richardson comes to Oakland with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove. It has been said that players come to Oakland to see their careers die, well Jack Del Rio and company are bringing in guys to revamp their careers. Richardson is young and has an opportunity to turn his career around and live up to the hype that originally came with his name. This was a low risk high reward move by McKenzie, but only time will tell how the running back reacts to another change of scenery and a rebuilding team.
The Raiders also have Roy Helu on the roster, another running back who will battle for a roster spot. Helu has spent four seasons with the Washington Redskins and has 1,132 yards in 255 attempts.
He was a utility running back with Washington, and while he seems like a dark horse, he has a shot at making the Raiders 53.
Del Rio has already brought a lot of change to this team, as has Reggie McKenzie. The run game under Dennis Allen and Tony Sparano was horrid and nonexistent. This organization has brought in other factors to improve this offense, but they need to establish a solid run game to have success in this league. A one-dimensional, pass heavy offense won’t bring much success, they have to ensure they can hand the ball off and still create an element of surprise to wear out the opposing defense.
While Richardson is being deemed as the frontrunner for the starting position, Murray is a solid candidate and someone who has shown talent throughout camp before. Now, he has his eyes set on a starting role and will fight hard for it. Regardless, a duo of Richardson and Murray could greatly help this offense and young Derek Carr under center, knowing they could always fall back on the run to move the chains.