Oakland Raiders: Roy Helu The First Chip To Fall In Camp

The Oakland Raiders have reported to training camp as they prepare for the coming season – but running back Roy Helu will apparently not be joining them in those preparations.

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The Oakland Raiders are apparently going to be looking elsewhere for somebody who can help give the running game a little spark of life. Running back Roy Helu has been released after starting training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. The move comes as little to no surprise to anybody as Helu, signed last offseason, failed to give the Raiders much of anything in 2015.

Coming off four seasons in Washington, where he was something of a change of pace back, but more primarily, a receiving threat out of the backfield, GM Reggie McKenzie signed him to a two year deal, hoping to get some of that versatility and energy into Oakland’s running game.

Unfortunately for all involved, the experiment worked out about as well as the signing of Maurice Jones-Drew in 2014 – which is to say it was an abject failure.

Oakland’s running game ranked near the very bottom of the league in 2015, posting just 1,457 total yards and a paltry seven rushing touchdowns. Only Indianapolis, New England, San Diego, and Detroit had more anemic rushing attacks last season.

Latavius Murray was given his first opportunity to be Oakland’s workhorse and responded by posting the sixth best rushing total in the entire league last season with 1,066 yards on the ground.

But he wore down as the season progressed and he was far less effective in the second half of the season than he was in the first half.

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Taiwan Jones and Roy Helu were supposed to take some of the burden off of Murray and give the ground game a jolt of electricity it had been lacking. Neither Jones nor Helu rose to the occasion.

Quarterback Derek Carr was the team’s second best rusher with 138 yards on 33 carries – a decent enough yards per carry average (8.6), but not what you want to see out of your quarterback.

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Injury limited Helu to just nine games last season. But even when he was on the field, he was not that effective. Helu finished the year with 39 rushing yards on 17 carries (2.3 ypc average), and 75 yards on nine receptions with one touchdown.

Helu was signed to a two year deal worth just over four million dollars. Cutting him will save the Raiders a couple of million, plus the structure of the contract means that they will incur no dead money by jettisoning him.

But the two million he earned last season should be considered highway robbery for all that he contributed to the team.

Helu had offseason surgery on both hips and his recovery process necessitated his placement on the PUP list to start camp. But the Raiders, obviously not confident in his recovery or not confident that he could contribute any more this year than he did in 2015, have opted to go another way, prompting his release.

It’s a move that isn’t surprising and one that does not cause much of a ripple in the team’s plans given his lack of productivity last season – plus the addition of Deandre Washington in this year’s draft gives the Raiders somebody who can step into the role they’d originally envisioned Helu occupying.

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The move leaves Oakland with only Murray, Jones, George Atkinson III, Washington, and Jalen Richard on the roster. While it’s possible they could cobble together a stable of productive running backs, they could also look outside for help with their ground game.

What is imperative though, is that they get some help for Murray and somebody who can give the ground game the spark it so desperately needs.