Reggie McKenzie continues to add veteran players to establish an experienced football team in Oakland and running back Maurice Jones-Drew will do just that.

Raider Nation has had to worry about their run game because of an injury prone Darren McFadden being the number one running back.  Now, with the acquisition of Jones-Drew, the Raiders backfield has the potential to be pretty dynamic in 2014.

A rotation of Jones-Drew, McFadden, and even Marcel Reece could be highly rewarding for Oakland.  With an established back, if McFadden were to miss time due to injury, the run game wouldn’t be such a concern.

The Raiders and their fans would love to see McFadden return to 2010/2011 form when he rushed for 1,771 yards in 336 carries for 11 touchdowns in a combined 20 games.  Since then the stats haven’t been in McFadden’s favor.  In his last 22 games, he rushed for 1,086 in 330 attempts for only seven touchdowns.  Injuries have played a role in his struggles, but one thing is certain; when Run DMC is healthy he provides a huge offensive threat with his speed.

Jones-Drew has also been solid for the Jacksonville Jaguars for eight seasons, but the last two years haven’t been as productive for Jones-Drew.  In a combined 21 games (2012 and 2013 seasons) he rushed for 1,217 yards and six touchdowns in 320 attempts.  To compare, during the 2011 season the veteran ran for 1,606 yards for eight touchdowns in 343 attempts.   Jones-Drew has stated he enters the Raiders organization with a chip on his shoulder with something to prove, and that is just what they’ll need from him to establish a good run game.

Now the Raiders didn’t sign Jones-Drew to be a backup, but the signing provides depth at the position with McFadden available for carries. Even with his less productive seasons, Jones-Drew has outperformed McFadden.

While they have both stated they look forward to a training camp competition, Jones-Drew will win this battle easily.  He’s more reliable and in the end more productive.  However, if the two split time as they should, not only does a chance of injury decline, but the Oakland run game vastly improves and becomes a dual threat, making quarterback Matt Schaub’s job under center a little easier.