Training camp and the preseason are the time of year when an NFL roster is most in flux. Already this week, the Las Vegas Raiders made a jumble of moves before practices began and were forced to make yet another roster swap after a player went down with an injury during workouts.
Running back Chris Collier was waived on Friday afternoon after getting injured, and he was replaced by tight end Zack Kuntz on Las Vegas' 91-man roster. That left just four running backs in the building: Ashton Jeanty, Mike Washington Jr., Dylan Laube and Roman Hemby.
But a leadership group preaching competition and making players earn their spots doesn't really want the room be that thin. So, on Saturday, according to the NFL's transaction wire, the Raiders worked out a trio of veteran running backs in James Robinson, Dare Ogunbowale and Kenny McIntosh.
Raiders work out James Robinson, Dare Ogunbowale and Kenny McIntosh after waiving Chris Collier
Although the Silver and Black have not signed any of these players yet, these things can take time. Las Vegas worked out Kuntz three or four days before officially bringing him into the fold, so anything could be brewing behind the scenes. But the Raiders are clearly looking for another body.
Robinson is certainly the most notable name on the above list, as he burst onto the scene as a UDFA with the Jacksonville Jaguars in his first two seasons back in 2020 and 2021. Yes, that James Robinson. Of course, his production fell off a cliff in 2022, and he hasn't played in the NFL since 2023.
He actually had a solid spring playing for the Louisville Kings of the UFL, winning a league title, and John Spytek has noted in the past that if there is football on, the Raiders are watching and scouting. It's not clear what, if any, ties Robinson has to the building, but Las Vegas is giving him a look.
Ogunbowale has been around the league for the last nine years, playing for four different franchises. He spent the last four seasons with the Houston Texans, tallying 91 carries for 295 yards (3.2 y/a) and 3 touchdowns. He is also a dual-threat, catching 109 passes for 850 yards and 2 scores in his career.
More importantly, he knows Spytek from two different stints with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, one in 2017 and one from 2018 to 2019. He was actually voted a Bucs team captain in 2019 as a core special teamer, and he's logged almost 2,000 snaps in that facet of the game in his career.
McIntosh is the youngest of the trio at 26 years old, with Robinson being 27 and Ogunbowale 32, and he spent just last year playing for Klint Kubiak with the Seattle Seahawks. Unfortunately, though, he tore his ACL during training camp, so he didn't get much time with Kubiak, but McIntosh has a ring.
Not only is he a big running back, but he's a Georgia product, which are two things that the Raiders seem to have interest in this offseason. In 31 career carries with the Seahawks, McIntosh mustered 172 yards, which is 5.5 yards per attempt. He can also contribute on special teams.
Keep an eye out for the Silver and Black to sign one of these players in the not-so-distant future, particularly if another injury occurs at training camp. Las Vegas only has four halfbacks on the roster, and Kubiak and Spytek aren't in the business of just handing anyone a spot or a rotational role.
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