Latavius Murray proved he is the franchise running back the Oakland Raiders have been looking for. In his third season with the team, Murray started all 16 games putting up career-high numbers in the process. He was the consistency Oakland needed, but he was not enough. As the team enters the offseason, adding another running back to the mix will be a priority as the team could look towards a veteran for help.
According to the team website, the Raiders will look for another running back to place with Murray. Roy Helu Jr was supposed to be that back, but he dealt with injuries and only ended up carrying the ball 17 times. Jamize Olawale did not do much either. That left Murray to have a breakout season, but in this league a team needs multiple running backs to truly be success. That is where free agency could come into play.
"I have to continue to do the things I need to do so I'm producing, I'm playing my best," Murray said, via the team website. "To be honest, because like I said, I felt that I left so much out there. To me, it didn't feel like a 1,000-yard season. There were games where there was absolutely nothing. For me, I just know I want to get better. I know that if I can move it 1,000 yards with that kind of season, then there's a lot more out there for me."
According to NBCBayArea.com, Arian Foster and Matt Forte could be top targets for the Raiders this offseason. Foster is expected to be released from the Houston Texans for salary cap purposes while the Chicago Bears could be moving on from Forte with Jeremy Langford and Ka'Deem Carey as their leading rushers. Both veterans still have quality play left in them and could be the perfect complement to Murray.
Fansided.com believes that Marshawn Lynch could actually be a solid option for the Raiders considering his ties to Oakland. Lynch is another player expected to be a salary cap casualty. ESPN's John Clayton reports Lynch is "100 percent done in Seattle." The running back is no longer a workhorse per say, but he can still play smashmouth football as a solid piece for Murray to rotate with.
The issue for Oakland is that they will not overspend on a running back. The team is committed to Murray and will not invest heavily in a second option. Lynch, Forte and Foster all come with impressive resumes that they will try and leverage into more pay. If the Raiders are not willing to meet that then the draft is where they will add another running back. A late-round pick could turn into a huge success for the Raiders and not cost the team as much.
