NFL free agency grades: Raiders agree to deal with Doug Martin

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin gets a second chance in the Oakland Raiders’ backfield, signing a one-year deal.

The Oakland Raiders tried to revive Marshawn Lynch’s career in 2017, to mixed results.

Now new head honcho Jon Gruden will look to bolster the backfield by bringing in another veteran halfback who has been trending the wrong direction as of late.

According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the Raiders have agreed to a deal with former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin:

Martin collected 406 yards and three touchdowns on 138 carries with the Bucs in 2017. Let’s take a look at how this deal stacks up for both sides.

Contract details

The numbers on Martin’s deal weren’t yet released by this article’s publication. But per Rapoport, it’s a one-year deal.

National reaction

NFL fantasy analyst Adam Rank thought that the signing felt a little stuck in 2015:

The folks over at ProFootballTalk speculated that the addition of Martin might mean that Lynch is going to be on his way out:

Grade

Martin is hot-and-cold, but Gruden must think that he has higher upside than Lynch.

Martin’s best season was 2012, with 1,454 yards and 11 touchdowns and a 4.6 average.

Since then, however, Martin has risen and fallen, only posting more than 1,000 yards one other time, 2015.

At the NFL combine, Gruden remarked that he was “counting on” Lynch to start in the Raiders backfield in 2018, but apparently since then he’s had a change of heart.

There’s no question that Oakland needed to make some moves to improve its backfield, but with Lynch already on the roster, Martin might be simply more of the same. Oakland needs to inject some young blood into this position group, which it might do in the draft. But as things stand today, this isn’t a slam-dunk signing.

Grade: C

Next: 2018 NFL Free Agency Tracker

If it happens, cutting Lynch would save the Raiders $5.9 million against the cap.