Los Angeles Chargers AFC West Ranking: Running backs
By Jason Reed
3. Oakland Raiders
- Running back depth chart: Marshawn Lynch, Doug Martin, Jalen Richard
Five years ago this running back depth chart would have been terrifying and the Oakland Raiders would have had the most talented and deepest running game in football. However, this is 2018, not 2013, and now the Raiders find themselves with a collection of slower running backs that are past their primes.
Don’t get me wrong, Marshawn Lynch is still a solid player and can still give the Raiders something out of the backfield as the number one back on the depth chart. However, he is not the same beast mode Lynch of old and his production last season showcased that.
Lynch rushed for 891 yards on 207 carries and found the end zone seven times as a result. That is a solid season, but this was the first time since 2010 that Lynch rushed 200 or more times and did not crack the 1000 yards threshold.
As for Doug Martin, he is a very similar running back to Lynch and is in the same boat that his prime has sailed in the NFL. That does not mean that he cannot produce, however, Raider fans should not expect much.
After rushing for 1402 yards in 2015, Martin has combined for just 827 yards and six touchdowns over the last two seasons. In that time, Martin has missed 13 of his team’s 32 games played.
Lynch and Martin will carry the load and give the Raiders enough of a running game to at least respect it but it is doubtful that any team is going to truly fear the Raiders running the football.