The Oakland Raiders have been quietly rebuilding their roster out West with a number of low profile signings and the team may decide to make a big move in the future, possibly trading running back Darren McFadden if they can get the right value.
According to ESPN.com, the Raiders have expressed interest in trading McFadden and one main reason is the fact that he is injury prone and that the team would like to get more draft picks for April's event as they try to rebuild for the future. McFadden has proven to be an explosive player, but he also has been injury prone and missed four games last season.
The Raiders head into April's draft without a second and fifth round picks, two places where talent can be had at many different positions. Another reason they may make the deal is that the 2013 class is seen by many executives as a deep draft, with possible starters and key players projected throughout all seven rounds.
Oakland general manager Reggie McKenzie has been adding players like Nick Roach and Khalif Barnes, while cutting veterans like Michael Huff and Darrius Heyward-Bey as players like Phillip Wheeler and Desmond Bryant left for bigger contracts in Miami and Cleveland. The team is in a tough financial spot and with McFadden entering the final year of his contract, the time might be right for a trade.
The team would like to get a long-term deal done with McFadden since his cap hit for next season is $10 million, but if they can't, a deal could be the next move. McFadden is fast and can play outside of the backfield, but he has yet to play in more than 13 games in any season and has not proven he can stay healthy over the long haul in his five-year career.
Compensation for McFadden would likely be a second or third round pick and while that might seem uneven, in a draft like this one, that could hold immense value, especially because the team doesn't even possess a second round pick. The Raiders have Marcel Reece, who proved that he could step in for McFadden last season and he costs much less at just $1.4 million.
McFadden led the team with over 700 rushing yards and two touchdowns, but he was injured for four games and averaged just 3.3 yards per carry. McFadden's best season came in 2010 when he rushed for 1,157 yards and seven touchdowns and making 47 receptions for 507 yards.
McFadden is valuable out of the backfield, which could make him attractive to teams looking for a running back like the New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals or the Denver Broncos. In each of his five seasons, McFadden has made at least 20 catches apart from his injury plagued 2011 campaign that saw him play in seven games. He has made over 42 receptions twice and had 63 targets last season.
Head coach Dennis Allen spoke about the offensive system that the Raiders will be using next season and said that McFadden could be a fit.
"(McFadden's) most effective years have been in a downhill, power scheme," Allen said this week at the NFL owners meetings "That's why Greg Olson and Tony Sparano are here."
