Prioritizing The Oakland Raiders’ Free Agency Wish List By Need
By Kevin Saito
Given the fact that the Raiders seem to be more than willing to let Latavius Murray walk away as a free agent, that leaves the team with a big need in the backfield.
A lot has been made of the sharp decline in Murray’s workload last season. His carries fell from 266 to 195, and predictably, his yardage total fell from 1,066 to 788. But his touchdowns increased from six to 12. And his yards per carry average, didn’t change. He averaged four yards a carry in both 2015 and 2016.
While Murray’s performance in 2015 earned him a trip to the Pro Bowl and had much of the Raider Nation excited about the run game for the first time in a long time, his “decline” in 2016, has many kicking him in the rear on the way out of town.
Which seems ludicrous given that one of his most important stats – yards per carry – didn’t change one iota.
The addition of Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington helped cut down on Murray’s workload and gave the Raiders are more balanced – and ultimately, far more potent – rushing attack. Last season’s ground game was as good as its been in long, long time. The combination of the three was a potent blend with Oakland’s aerial assault.
And by removing Murray from the equation, the team is risking putting too much of a burden on the two much smaller, second year backs – a burden they have yet to prove they can shoulder.
It seems doubtful that McKenzie will address the running back situation in free agency, likely opting to pick up a big body in the draft. But if he were going to add a back in free agency, he could do a lot worse than adding the guy who knows – and has been very highly productive – in the system already.