The Oakland Raiders will have an interesting competition at the running back position this year between Darren McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew. McFadden signed a one year deal with the Raiders this offseason in an attempt to prove himself, but due to injuries the Raiders also signed veteran Jones-Drew. So who will be the starting RB come week one?
When Darren McFadden was drafted by the Raiders with the fourth overall pick in 2008, there were high expectations for the running back, however he hasn’t lived up to the hype. This year he hopes to prove his worth and have a productive season.
Run DMC has great speed and is capable of being an explosive playmaker, but the injury bug has bit McFadden quite a few times throughout his career. He enters his seventh season this year, and has only played 67 games through six seasons with the silver and black, never playing more than 13 games a season. His injury history has deemed him an unreliable running back in the league as he’s missed several games due to hamstring issues, turf toe, sprained ankles, and possibly the most significant injury being a lisfranc sprain of his foot in 2011 in which he missed nine crucial games.
McFadden had a breakout year in 2010 with 1,157 yards and seven touchdowns in 223 attempts, then was off to a career start in 2011 before suffering his foot injury. He ended up finishing the 2011 season playing only seven games with 614 yards and four touchdowns in 113 attempts. He also hasn’t averaged more than 3.3 yards per carry since the 2011 season.
Jones-Drew is entering his ninth NFL season at the age of 29 and is looking to prove he has a lot to offer. He joins the Raiders with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove which will work to his advantage.
Although he has battled through some injuries, he has put up great numbers throughout his career and was a valuable asset to the Jaguars offense for eight seasons. He has a total of 8,071 yards and 68 touchdowns in his career, with his best season coming in 2011 when he put up 1,606 yards and eight touchdowns in 343 attempts.
After missing 10 games in 2012 due to a foot injury, he struggled during the 2013 season averaging a career-low 3.4 yards per carry.
When it comes to the starting job, Jones-Drew has the upper hand and will be the Raiders starting running back come week one. He’s more reliable than McFadden and has been more productive than him throughout his career. That being said, the Raiders will rotate running backs which will be beneficial to that Oakland offense as McFadden and Jones-Drew’s running styles complement each other, and both running backs are prepared to share the spotlight. With the addition of Jones-Drew, there is less of a reliance on McFadden to carry the run game which could help his injury woes. If both are able to stay healthy throughout the season, the silver and black could see a lot of production with the run game in 2014.
Both running backs have also been practicing returning kicks, as head coach Dennis Allen said, “anything’s an option.”
This offseason the Raiders went out and made moves to improve this football team. They’ve had a lack of production when it comes to the run game, so Reggie McKenzie added another veteran running back who can excel with this improving offense. Although Jones-Drew will be the starter, both he and McFadden have the opportunity to prove their worth and have a healthy, productive season. It’ll be interesting to see how the Raiders offense plays out with improvements at the quarterback position as well as the offensive line.