Oakland Raiders Poll Question: Who Starts At Running Back?

By Jonathan George | May 22, 2015

With all of the moves the Oakland Raiders either made or tried to make this past off-season, the rebuilding of the running back corps might have been the most highlighted. Between “losing” Darren McFadden to the Cowboys, missing out on the DeMarco Murray Sweepstakes and bringing in polarizing Trent Richardson, Oakland has definitely been exploring just about every option at RB. The position is key for Oakland’s success in 2015, which is why the moves were so well documented.

After the dust settled, the Raiders have several players that they feel can compete at both a high level and for the starting running back spot. Many Raider fans have anointed last years late surprise Latavius Murray as the #1, but per ESPN’S Bill Williamson, head coach Jack Del Rio stated back in March that he expects a competition for the starting running back spot. So coming into camp there isn’t an unquestioned “top dog”.

More from Las Vegas Raiders

Let’s take a look at some of the players that could end up taking the majority of the reps at the running back position.

Latavius Murray

While there can be no doubt that Murray holds the most upside of any veteran running back on the roster, he also has some question marks. Can he stay healthy for 16 games? Was last years late season production a result of untapped talent or scheduling circumstances?

Murray showed he had the potential to be great when it took him only four carries to rack up 112 yards and two TD’s against the Chiefs in November, but any time he had to carry the ball 20+ times he averaged less than four yards a carry. The line and the offense obviously contribute to these numbers but again, the flashes of talent are there. Will that talent bloom into consistent production in 2015?

Trent Richardson

After an exciting rookie year where Richardson scored 11 TD’s on the ground and ran for almost 1,000 yards, he began his well documented down slide. He followed up his 2012 rookie campaign with back-to-back subpar seasons while playing in Cleveland and Indianapolis. In a league that stresses speed and quick movement in space, Richardson seemed to be stuck grinding out two and three yard rushes.

Del Rio and Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie obviously saw something that made them want Richardson, but will training camp and the pre-season be enough to push Richardson past Murray or anyone else on the roster for the starting role? OC Bill Musgrave has shown the ability to run an offense that is centered around a tough running attack; he did so in Minnesota, albeit with a much better back in Adrian Peterson.

Can Richardson be reborn with the silver and black?

Everyone else

The Raiders also brought in Roy Helu and Michael Dyer to compete for roster spots, but neither is expected to play more than a bit role as either a 3rd down back or depth. Taiwan Jones is also back for 2015, but he isn’t a serious contender either. If any of these players were to take the starting role they would either have to be huge surprises in camp or injuries would have had to hit Oakland hard.

Both scenarios would be bad news in terms of player development for the Raiders.

In the end, an argument can be made that nowadays almost every team runs a two back system, constantly switching guys in and out to keep them fresh, so the starting running back isn’t as important as it once was. To be sure, while the starting QB or LT is probably more important, the starting player at any position in the NFL is key to a team’s success, and the Raiders want one of these guys to separate themselves from the pack.

So, the question remains: Who do you think will be the starting running back for the Oakland Raiders when they play week 1? Let us know in the comments or hit us up on Twitter at @NFLSpinZone.

Next: More depth for the Raiders at corner

More from NFL Spin Zone

Home/Las Vegas Raiders