One position that the Raiders need to add more depth at this offseason is at running back. Both Peyton Barber and Jalen Richard are free agents and it would be a slight surprise if either came back in 2022.
While they do have both Josh Jacobs and Kenyan Drake under contract for this season (Jacobs has the fifth-year option in 2023), it’s possible that they could add another player to the backfield this offseason.
One player that just makes too much sense is James White from the New England Patriots. During his career with the Patriots under Josh McDaniels, he caught 381 passes and scored 36 touchdowns in the regular season.
In a recent article by Kevin Patra of NFL.com, he suggested that the Raiders look into White or Brandon Bolden this offseason to fill out their running back room. Here are his thoughts on the backfield as a whole and the potential of White joining the roster:
“Jacobs provides new coach Josh McDaniels the power runner he desires in his offense. Even in a down year, Jacobs still proved he can be an every-down back, and caught a career-high 54 passes. Jon Gruden had designs on Drake playing a change-of-pace role, but it never clicked.
Still, with it costing $5.5 million in dead money to move on, I’d expect Drake to stick around and play the pass-catching role. It will be interesting to see what type of veteran McDaniels brings to play the buffer.
Both pass-catching vet James White and reserve sledgehammer Brandon Bolden are free agents who could bring a new dimension to the offense as McDaniels installs his vision in Vegas.”
White only played three games last season due to a hip injury and he just turned 30 years old. For that reason, it’s hard to imagine that he would get a big deal from the Raiders or from any team for that matter. Still, he can be a good rotational player in the right backfield.
The Raiders make a ton of sense with McDaniels, obviously. But it’s also worth mentioning that Derek Carr has traditionally loved to throw to running backs out of the backfield. It seems like the Raiders could get him a few touches per game in the passing game in their offense.
If White does leave New England, expect Las Vegas to have a heavy interest. But even if White doesn’t sign with the Raiders, look for them to try to upgrade their backfield via free agency this offseason.
