The Oakland Raiders have a had a busy offseason which included hiring ESPN commentator and former coach Jon Gruden back to Oakland. The team had a disappointing season with a 6-10 record and missed the playoffs. Derek Carr appeared to have taken a step back in the 2017 season. As a result it’s safe to assume that the front office felt there needed to be changes made to the current roster.
The changes on offense began with the addition of former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin. NFL Network’s
Ian Rapoport reported Martin and the Raiders agreed to terms on a one-year deal.
Martin enjoyed a breakout rookie season where he rushed for 1,454 yards on 319 carries with 11 rushing TDs. In the past two season he has failed to rush for more than 500 yards and also was suspended for violating the league performance enhancement policy in 2016.
Another move by the franchise also included cutting wide receiver Michael Crabtree. The move makes room to sign recently cut wide receiver Jordy Nelson. Around The NFL has reported that the deal for Nelson is 2 years/$15 million with $13 million guaranteed. Jon Gruden appears to be molding the roster to players who fit his style of play. We’ll see if these moves along with others to come will turn the Raiders fortune around in 2018.