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Oakland Raiders: Making decisions on in-house free agents

By Maurice Moton

OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 28: Jared Cook #87 of the Oakland Raiders celebrates after catching a long pass for a firs down against the Indianapolis Colts during the second half of their NFL football game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on October 28, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 28: Jared Cook #87 of the Oakland Raiders celebrates after catching a long pass for a firs down against the Indianapolis Colts during the second half of their NFL football game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on October 28, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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OAKLAND, CA – DECEMBER 24: Doug Martin #28 of the Oakland Raiders signals first down against the Denver Broncos during the second half of their NFL football game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on December 24, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA – DECEMBER 24: Doug Martin #28 of the Oakland Raiders signals first down against the Denver Broncos during the second half of their NFL football game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on December 24, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

RB Doug Martin, Unrestricted

When Lynch went down with a groin injury, Martin took over as the primary ball-carrier and finished as the Raiders’ lead rusher with 723 yards in 2018. He impressed Gruden in a meeting and became one of the lead skipper’s first free-agent signings last March. Unfortunately for the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back, it wasn’t all great and productive for him during his time with the silver and black.

Martin averaged 4.2 yards per carry, but he also lost three fumbles. Ball-security issues should cause the Raiders to pause a bit on a 30-year-old ball-carrier. However, the seventh-year veteran can also catch out of the backfield, which makes him an attractive asset in Gruden’s offense that’s designed to provide quarterback Derek Carr with quality receivers in the short passing game.

The Raiders still have Chris Warren III waiting for his time to build upon an impressive 2018 preseason in which he led the league in rushing yards (292). If Lynch re-signs, Martin will likely hit free agency. Working off of the previous verdict rendered regarding the veteran Beast Mode coming back, the Muscle Hamster goes elsewhere.

Verdict: Walk

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