A Year In Review: Jalen Richard

A detailed review of Oakland Raiders running back Jalen Richard in 2016. From his stats, to his game-changing special teams plays.

Oakland Raiders rookie running back Jalen Richard introduced himself to the entire NFL in the 2016 season.

Richard started the season as the third string running back behind fellow rookie DeAndre Washington, who was selected in the fifth round of out Texas Tech. Raider Nation did not know a whole lot about Richard other than that he went undrafted, and that he was consistently flashing some serious potential in training camp.

After the first three or four games, you could see Richard starting to receive more and more reps as the second string back. As time passed, he solidified his spot as the second string running back, and he remained as the backup to Latavius Murray for the remainder of the season.

On the season, Richard had 83 carries for 491 yards, good for 5.7 yards per carry. Richard also added 29 receptions for 194 yards. Along with his rushing and receiving duties, he also was a threat on special teams as a return man. Jalen had 374 yards in punt returns, which ranked 2nd in the NFL, and also had 440 yards in kickoff returns, which ranked 17th best.

Thanks to his strong performance in the return game, Richard was one of several Raiders that were named Pro Bowl alternates. Jalen is someone who you can expect to have a constant impact on the Raiders offense for years to come.

Let’s take a look at Richard’s week by week performance.