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Oakland Raiders: 5 offseason needs

By Brad Weiss

Dec 24, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) gestures before the snap against the Indianapolis Colts during the first quarter at the Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 24, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) gestures before the snap against the Indianapolis Colts during the first quarter at the Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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December 4, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders running back Latavius Murray (28) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills during the third quarter at Oakland Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Bills 38-24. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
December 4, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders running back Latavius Murray (28) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills during the third quarter at Oakland Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Bills 38-24. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Bring back Latavius Murray

For all the talk about how explosive the Raiders offense was in 2016, nobody really talks about Latavius Murray. While Murray did see his numbers dip from his Pro Bowl season in 2015, he did score 12 touchdowns for the Raiders last season. He is the kind of leader the Raiders need in the backfield, and you can be sure quarterback Derek Carr is hopeful that the team brings him back next season.

Rookie running backs Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington played very well behind Murray last season, though neither is really ready to take on a full workload. Murray is the kind of player that can lead a running back by committee, and he should improve on his numbers next season. Murray is one of the bigger named free agents on the team this offseason, and losing him could really be damaging to the Raiders flow on offense.

With the way the Raiders are constructed, it is obvious that the passing game is going to lead the way. However, having Murray in the backfield means that defenses have to respect the run, which leads to Carr making big plays down the field off of playaction. Murray may not be somebody who is going to fill the stat sheet, and is often inconsistent, but his impact on this team cannot be measured with statistics alone.