Getty NFL free agent FB Derrick Coleman.
Throughout the season, pretty much every position group for the Las Vegas Raiders has seen injury problems. Fullback was one of the few spots where they were able to stay healthy. That changed in Week 9 as Alec Ingold broke a few ribs against the Los Angeles Chargers. He was able to tough through the pain against the Denver Broncos but he was clearly limited.
He’ll have a chance to play against the Kansas City Chiefs this week but the Raiders could be looking for some depth at the position. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the team is bringing in Derrick Coleman for a visit.
The #Raiders are bringing in veteran FB Derrick Coleman for a visit, per the wire.
Coleman spent four years with the Seattle Seahawks and won a Super Bowl with them in 2013. He spent many games blocking for former Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch. He hasn’t been on an NFL roster since 2018 as many teams don’t utilize fullbacks anymore. Coleman was the first legally deaf offensive player to play in the NFL.
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Raiders Run Game Picking Up
Last season, the Raiders’ offense was notable for how good their running game was. To start this season, the team got off to a bit of a slow start. That’s changed now as the team’s last three games saw their three best statistical outputs on the ground yet.
Josh Jacobs has accumulated more than 100 rushing yards in two of the last three games and has three touchdowns. Devontae Booker has been excellent as Jacobs’ backup. He has 149 rushing yards and three touchdowns over the last two games. After a disappointing end to his stint in Denver, Booker is coming into his own as one of the better backup running backs in the NFL.
The Raiders’ passing offense has been better this year but it’s clear they still want to run the ball. As long as they can keeping moving the sticks through the ground, they’re going to be really hard to stop.
Jon Gruden Sounds off on Running the Ball
It’s no secret that Jon Gruden likes to keep things old school. There’s nothing flashy about his offense but it’s impossible to deny that it’s been very effective.
“I think offensively, we’ve always kind of said it at the beginning, we want to be able to adapt to who we’re playing and who we’re playing with,” Gruden said after the win versus the Broncos. “We try to play to our strengths. We try to feature our best players as much as possible. … We’ve had some alternating players up front, so we switched gears and we’re able to survive. … Running the ball, no matter how you do it and when you do it, is a great accomplishment in this league, especially when the opponent knows you’re running it and everybody knows you’re running it.”
Everybody knows the Raiders want to run the ball but not many teams can stop them. It helps that they have weapons like Henry Ruggs and Darren Waller stretching the field. Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock have put together the perfect offensive roster for what the coach wants to do.
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