Getty Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden
The Oakland Raiders seem very determined to add another running back to the roster, but can’t seem to find the right one. They’ve already reportedly worked out LeGarrette Blount, C.J. Anderson and Bo Scarbrough, but passed on all three of them. We can now add former Kansas City Chiefs running back Spencer Ware to list of players the team has worked out according to the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Anderson, Blount and Scarbrough are all bigger running backs, so seeing Ware pop up for a work out is interesting as he’s not much bigger than Josh Jacobs. Ware had a couple of productive years with the Chiefs in a mostly backup role. During 2016, in relief of the injured Jamaal Charles, Ware rushed for 921 yards and scored 3 touchdowns. He’s also a productive wide receiver out of the backfield. The problem is, he has a very similar skill set to the current three Raiders running backs.
More of the Same
It made sense why Oakland would be interested in bringing in a bigger, powerful running back because Josh Jacobs, DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard are all of similar size and have similar skill sets. They’re all smaller running backs that can catch out of the backfield. Spencer Ware falls into that same category. Jacobs and Ware are the same height and there’s only a four-pound difference between the two.
The only thing that could make sense is that the team is slightly concerned about Jacobs’ lingering shoulder injury and could be doing their due diligence in case he gets seriously hurt. It’s doubtful the team will keep three running backs on the roster, so if Oakland brought a new one in, either Washington or Richard are going to be shown the door. It doesn’t seem like Ware would bring anymore upside than those two running backs. The Raiders are currently seventh in the NFL with 131.4 rushing yards per game. If it ain’t broke, they shouldn’t try to fix it.
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Rodney Hudson Back at Practice
🔴 Live: Coach Gruden addresses the media.
Center Rodney Hudson is known more for his pass blocking, but he’s also a solid run blocker. He went down with an injury during the first quarter of the game versus the Houston Texans. While initial reports were that he was going to miss some time, it’s looking possible that he could suit up for Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions. He was on the practice field for Friday’s practice and Jon Gruden said that the center is questionable.
Gruden went so far as to say that if Hudson is questionable, his “gut” instinct is that the center will play. It shouldn’t surprise anybody considering the man played through a kidney stone in a 2017 game, but a high-ankle sprain is also no joke. It would be a crazy turnaround if he was able to go on Sunday. He’s the unquestioned leader of the offensive line and hasn’t missed a start since 2015. There’s no doubt the offense would be very happy to have him against the Lions.
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