Oakland Raiders Preseason Week 1 Preview: Storylines to Watch

May 26, 2015; Alameda, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders running back Trent Richardson (33) catches a pass at organized team activities at the Raiders practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

4. The Race for Backup Running Back Heats Up

The competition for the No. 2 running back spot behind Latavius Murray is intense, as noted previously on JBB, and live action against another opponent will only tip the scales further in one direction.

As reported by Chase Ruttig, Trent Richardson made his training camp debut for the Raiders after spending his first few practices on the NFI list with pneumonia. He is currently listed as the running back behind Murray, but it is clear that the competition is still wide open.

Fellow free agent signing Roy Helu Jr. has made his case for the spot early in the offseason, but has reportedly been sidelined throughout practice as of Wednesday.

Helu Jr. rushed for 1,132 yards and seven touchdowns in his four-year career with Washington, his career-year coming in 2014, as he earned 216 yards and one touchdown on 40 attempts on the ground and 42 receptions for 477 yards and two touchdowns through the air.

Rookie Undrafted Free Agent Michael Dyer has also been noted as one of the leading candidates to serve as the No. 2 back come Week 1, but he still has a lot to prove after failing to overwhelmingly impress in his final two years at Louisville.

All three backs should receive a lot of playing time against St. Louis, and with the talent and level of competition between the group, it should be exciting to see all of them carry the football.

Next: Preseason Week 1 Storylines: Wideouts Battling for Playing Time