Oakland Raiders: Examining strengths, concerns going into 2018 season

Strength: The Ground Attack

For those who watched the preseason, it’s clear Gruden wants to establish the ground attack. Rookie running back Chris Warren III won the “preseason rushing title” with 292 yards on 58 carries. Since the Raiders placed him on injured reserve before setting the initial 53-man roster, he’s not eligible to return this year.

Nonetheless, Gruden offered a not-so-subtle clue about how he wants the offense to run on his watch. Carr will continue to take his shots downfield, but the run game will likely play a major part in opening the field for the aerial attack.

Oakland kept four running backs, which include Marshawn Lynch, Doug Martin, Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington, who’s recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery. What was one of Gruden’s first offseason transactions? Acquire a fullback, Keith Smith, to fit his system.

Those roster moves should tell you the Silver and Black will play physical football with the ground attack. Smith will probably lead the way for Lynch on designed runs. The Raiders have agile maulers on the interior of the offensive line in Kelechi Osemele, Rodney Hudson and Gabe Jackson. It’s a team built to batter their opponents in the trenches and create opportunities for deep throws to wideout Amari Cooper on play-action calls.

Here’s a quick note. In two out of four seasons under Gruden, the Raiders ranked top eight in rushing attempts, yards and touchdowns. He accomplished the feat with a running back committee featuring Tyrone Wheatley, Napoleon Kaufman, Zack Crockett and a little bit of Randy Jordan in both instances.