Is Marshawn Lynch a good fit for the Oakland Raiders?
The NFL rumor mill continues to swirl around the possibility of Marshawn Lynch coming out of retirement in 2017. Would the Raiders be the right fit?
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Monday morning, Lynch is making it clear that the only way he returns to football is if he gets what he wants. His request is to be a member of his hometown Oakland Raiders.
The question is if Oakland should reciprocate the same feelings back to Lynch and his party. How much can Beast Mode truly help the Silver and Black or would the signing be a waste of time and money?
2 tidbits on Marshawn Lynch: 1. Source on un-retiring says it’s “realer than it’s ever been” … 2. It’s #Raiders or bust. #BeastMode
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 20, 2017
Why Lynch fits
By default, Lynch fits with this roster for no bigger reason than necessity. The current backs on Oakland’s roster are Taiwan Jones, DeAndre Washington, and Jalen Richard. No disrespect to those guys, but that isn’t the cream of the crop when it comes to tailbacks. Latavius Murray recently departed for Minnesota, so the Raiders have a gaping hole in the backfield. Lynch would be an exciting addition on paper for an already explosive offense.
The upside with a guy like Lynch could pay tremendous dividends. A prominent running game led by Lynch could make Derek Carr that much more dangerous through the air. He has a pedigree that includes a historically bruising running style. The fact that he is a hometown kid and wants to play for the Raiders is an added plus, especially for a team embroiled in a potential lame duck year in Oakland.
Why Lynch does not fit
While everything always looks great in the offseason, reality usually hits many teams hard come September. Lynch has the name, but he will be 31 years old in a month. Productive backs over the age of 30 are few and far between. He also just had a year off from football, which means a year off of full, brutal contact. That is a year in which Beast Mode could have been lounging on his couch eating Skittles. Jokes aside, by signing Lynch, you cannot be positive of the playing condition he will be in.
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Oakland would also have to ask themselves how much can they truly expect from Lynch. Before retiring last year, he finished with just over 400 yards in 2015 with a 3.8 average/carry. Is it realistic to think he can be the 1,000-yard rusher he once was? The odds would certainly be against him, especially due to the fact two of the league’s top defenses play in Oakland’s division with regard to Kansas City and Denver.