With the Oakland Raiders continuing to build for the future, the final game of the season will be an audition for certain players who may be on the bubble for the franchise. Marcel Reece is one of those players as the fullback failed to really break through this season. Reece has been productive in the past, but will a suspension for performance-enhancing drugs be the final straw for him and the Raiders?
According to Bill Williamson of ESPN.com, Reece has been suspended four games for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. The fullback cannot play in the season finale of this year or the first three games of 2016. Reece is currently playing on a contract with one year remaining on it, but there is a chance he does not see that time in Oakland. Currently owed $2.6 million in 2016, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport predicts that there is a chance that Reece is released. Head coach Jack Del Rio played coy with the media.
"He's not a major part of what we do," Del Rio said, via ESPN.com. "He's a part of what we do, but it's not like we're taking out 50 or 60 or 70 percent of our offense when we remove him. We'll get the next guy up and be ready to roll."
Reece had 30 catches for 269 yards this season while rushing 10 times for 36 yards. That is less than what he has done in the past for Oakland as he has lost playing time to Jamize Olawale. The Raiders have been favoring Olawale recently as a change-of-pace player for Latavius Murray who has cemented his spot as the team's starting running back. The running back recently recorded 1,000 yards rushing as he continues to keep the offense balanced. That rotation has worked well for the Raiders meaning Reece could be on the outside looking in come the offseason.
The Raiders have the bigger picture in mind and player suspensions are not part of that. With youth becoming the new norm in Oakland, Reece can be replaced. Already the team has locked down Michael Crabtree for the future as he and Amari Cooper continue to lead with Derek Carr. Murray along with Olawale and the sometimes-present Roy Helu and Taiwan Jones can take care of the ground game if Reece is out in 2016.
The Raiders have dealt with suspensions in the past. Andre Holmes was suspended for violating the league's substance abuse policy and he remained on the team. Aldon Smith has also been dealing with a suspension and has remained on the roster. There is no telling what will happen with Reece.
