Raiders cleaning out backfield

February 18, 2008 · Paul Raymond · Jump to comments

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So the Oakland Raiders have some house cleaning to do now after resigning Justin Fargas to a long term deal. It’s been widely known that LaMont Jordan will not be with the team much longer and his $4.7 million contract will be cut very soon. There has been heavy speculation thou regarding Dominic Rhodes. Rhodes is a sticky situation as his contract calls for him to make $3 million in 2008, while also getting a $2 million roster bonus. So essentially, Rhodes as a back-up tail back would cost the Raiders $5 million.

Here’s the dicey part thou, is Rhodes even their back-up? No, he’s got to earn it. Micheal Bush is going to get every opportunity he can to work his way into the Raiders running back mix next season. And with the Raiders draft history, you never know they could just go out and draft a running back in the early rounds as well.

If i was a Raiders fan, i’d let Jordan and Rhodes both walk right out the door. Let Bush mix it up with a middle round draft pick running back for the back-up position. Then i’d want the team to use the money saved on getting some defensive help. A lot of mock drafts have the team selecting a defensive linemen with their first round pick, with the two being LSU’s Glenn Dorsey and USC’s Sedrick Ellis. But there also lies a possibility the Raiders could make a splash in free agency if Nnamdi Asomugha, Albert Haynesworth, Jared Allen, and possibly Green Bay’s Corey Williams aren’t slapped with their organizations franchise tag.

But with all being said it is the Raiders and when is the last time they actually put some thought into their personnel moves. I’d love to see the team turn it around soon thou, because a successful Raiders team is always better for the NFL as a whole.

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