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Oakland Raiders: 5 Free Agents the Team Must Avoid

By Kevin Saito

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Dec 14, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back

Steven Jackson

(39) carries the ball pursued by Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback

Brice McCain

(25) in the third quarter at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports

Steven Jackson (RB)

Their running game is a big question mark this season. After bringing back veteran Darren McFadden, and bringing in Maurice Jones-Drew, the Raiders’ running game was as bad as it has ever been. Probably even worse than that, actually.

Though McFadden made it through a whole season without missing a game for the first time in seemingly forever, his production hit unbelievable lows. Though McFadden showed some flashes and was very good in some spurts, his 534 yards on 155 carries (3.4 ypc), was abysmal.

As bad as McFadden was, Jones-Drew was even worse. After breaking a hand and missing some time, Jones-Drew found himself buried on the depth chart. His 96 yards on 43 carries (2.2 ypc) were obviously career lows, but they spoke to a running back on the tail end of his career. McKenzie gambled that Jones-Drew had something left in the tank, but that gamble backfired in a big way.

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    • The only bright spot in Oakland’s running game was Latavius Murray – though the sample size is too small to declare him among the NFL’s best. He did show good speed and power, and he very well may be a back the Raiders can feature, but it’s just not certain at this point.

    Which means that the Raiders will be looking for a running back who can provide a little competition for Murray, as well as somebody who can help Oakland establish a potent running attack in the here and now.

    Steven Jackson, 16th on the NFL’s all-time rushing yardage list is currently looking for work after being cut by the Atlanta Falcons after two unimpressive seasons. Perhaps he just wasn’t a good fit for Atlanta’s system, but Jackson never really found a niche with the Falcons. He certainly never showed the form he’d had with the Rams, a stretch that saw him post eight consecutive 1,000 yards seasons.

    Jackson has said that he has no plans to retire, and is looking for his next club. Yes, the Raiders running game needs a boost. But Jackson is not the answer any more than Maurice Jones-Drew was. Jackson is looking more like a tailback at the end of a distinguished career rather than the spark plug Oakland needs.

    Next: 2. Jacoby Jones

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