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Oakland Raiders: Five Camp Battles That Will Be Worth Watching

By Kevin Saito

Feb 16, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of Oakland Raiders helmet at McArthur Park with the downtown Los Angeles skyline as a backdrop. NFL owners voted 30-2 to allow owner Rams Stan Kroenke (not pictured) to move the St. Louis Rams to Los Angeles for the 2016 season with an option also award to Raiders owner Mark Davis (not pictured). Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 16, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of Oakland Raiders helmet at McArthur Park with the downtown Los Angeles skyline as a backdrop. NFL owners voted 30-2 to allow owner Rams Stan Kroenke (not pictured) to move the St. Louis Rams to Los Angeles for the 2016 season with an option also award to Raiders owner Mark Davis (not pictured). Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oakland Raiders
May 31, 2016; Alameda, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders running backs DeAndre Washington (33) and Latavius Murray (28) at organized team activities at the Raiders practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Running Back Duties

It doesn’t seem to be anywhere near likely that Deandre Washington is going to supplant Latavius Murray as the starter in the backfield for the Raiders. Murray had a pretty solid 2015 season overall, but it was clear that he needed some help. He needed somebody to help shoulder that burden.

Which is why the Raiders drafted Washington in the fifth round of this year’s draft. At 5’8”, 200 lbs., many are comparing him to a version of the young Maurice Jones-Drew. And if he pans out to be as good as Jones-Drew was, the Raiders found themselves a real steal.

Oakland Raiders
Dec 24, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders running back Latavius Murray (28) scores on a 22-yard touchdown run against the San Diego Chargers during an NFL football game at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

What the Raiders need from him most though, is for him to be a solid complement to Murray. He needs to be something that Oakland didn’t have last year – a solid and reliable second running back. Behind Murray, Oakland’s second leading rusher was quarterback Derek Carr – which accounts for the Raiders having one of the most ineffective and anemic ground games in the league last season.

Neither Roy Helu Jr. or Taiwan Jones were capable of staying healthy and being effective in the rushing game last season. And that lack of punch on the ground obviously had a detrimental impact on the passing game and offense as a whole.

The Raiders are hoping that Washington can help turn that around by giving them a solid second option behind Murray in the backfield.

But being a rookie, he’s going to have to fight to earn his carries. He’s going to have to beat out veterans Helu and Jones for the position. Which, given their performances last season, probably shouldn’t be too difficult of a task for a guy who had such a productive career at Texas Tech. But this is the NFL where nothing is guaranteed and nothing is going to be handed to you.

The early reports on Washington thus far have all been positive. It seems he’s been making a positive impression on OC Bill Musgrave who seems anxious to find ways to incorporate Washington into Oakland’s offensive game plan.

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If Washington does indeed pan out, that potentially bodes well for Oakland’s offense as a whole. With a solid one-two punch in the backfield, teams won’t be able to simply key on Carr and his weapons in the passing game.

But for that to happen, he’s going to need to beat out some veterans first.

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