Oakland Raiders Free Agency Preview: Running Backs
By Austin Gayle
Doug Martin
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin is true No. 1 back, and even though Oakland isn’t exactly in the market for a feature back with Murray still in the locker room, he still is a viable option for the Raiders backfield.
As the No. 2 running back in 2015, Martin carried the ball 288 times for 1,402 yards and six touchdowns in just his second 16-game season in the NFL. His other full season came during his rookie year, where he earned 1,454 yards and 11 touchdowns on 319 carries.
When healthy, Martin has proven himself to be one of the top running backs in the NFL. His vision and patience behind the line of scrimmage paired with his ability to make defenders miss in space force defensive coordinators to make an effort to game plan against him, a feature Oakland has had in their backfield for quite some time.
Though the addition of Martin would force Murray to take on a much more reduced role, Oakland’s rushing attack would unquestionably improve with Martin taking a bulk of the carries. With a productive back like Murray coming in to keep Martin fresh, opposing defenses would struggle to slow down either of the two backs, and in turn, Oakland offense would remain two-dimensional deep into the fourth quarter.
Martin will likely draw a high-level of interest from other teams with much more desperate needs at the running back position, but Martin could bypass some other lucrative offers to return to his hometown in 2016.