Raiders news: Devontae Booker adds depth to running back room

The Las Vegas Raiders added Devontae Booker to the running back room Thursday, and the veteran should add solid depth in 2020.

At one point in his career, running back Devontae Booker looked like the future at the position for the Denver Broncos. Only a few years later, Booker joins the Broncos division rival, inking a one-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday.

Booker joins a running back room that has already been upgraded this offseason, as the team spent a third round pick on Kentucky do-everything Lynn Bowden Jr. While Bowden played wideout, quarterback, and running back in college, he is originally listed as a running back, and should be a dynamic playmaker for the Raiders.

This is a Raiders team that has a true RB1 at the top of the depth chart in Josh Jacobs, who was absolutely robbed of the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year honor this past season. Jacobs became the first Raiders rookie to rush for over 1,000 yards, and the impressive thing is that he did it with a broken shoulder for half the season.

Jalen Richard returns to running back group as well, and he has shown he can be a monster out of the backfield in the passing game. Jacobs, Richard, and Bowden give the Raiders three solid playmakers at the top of the depth chart, and the Raiders also brought back Rod Smith this offseason as well.

As a rookie in 2016, Booker actually led the Broncos in rushing, as he appeared in all 16 games while making six starts. Since then, he has been utilized as a backup, and with the Broncos adding Melvin Gordon this offseason to go along with Phillip Lindsay, he was obviously the odd man out.

The additions of Bowden and Booker to the backfield gives the Raiders the depth they need to be solid at the position group in 2020. Sure, Booker will have to battle to earn a roster spot in Las Vegas, but he brings talent to the room, and has shown he can handle the workload in the past.