It seems as though running back Trent Richardson's stay with the Oakland Raiders could prove to be a short one. Richardson, signed by the Raiders and new head coach Jack Del Rio to a meager two-year, $3.85 million contract with just $600,000 guaranteed this offseason, was viewed as something of a reclamation project for Oakland after the former first-round pick flamed out with the Cleveland Browns and the Indianapolis Colts. While there certainly weren't massive expectations for Richardson amongst Raider Nation, there was, at least, hope that he could finally realize the potential that once made him the third-overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, it seems things may already be falling off the rails for Richardson with the Raiders.
"Latavius Murray will get every chance to be the lead running back as whispers are that the Trent Richardson reclamation project is not going so well," SFChronicle.com's Vic Tafur reports.
Richardson was viewed as a bruising, potentially elite offense-powering running back when he entered the NFL out of Alabama in 2012. Sadly, while his professional career got off to a promising start in Cleveland - he finished his rookie season with 950-yards rushing and 11 touchdowns - weight concerns and ineffectiveness have robbed him of the necessary speed and agility to make defenders miss consistently at the NFL level.
With Oakland bringing in Del Rio this offseason to revamp the Raiders offense, there was optimism that Richardson's abysmal efforts in Cleveland and Indianapolis would be put squarely behind him under a new, tough coaching staff and in an offensive system that is likely to be very run-oriented. Indeed, already this offseason Raiders coaches lauded Richardson for losing weight and looking quicker.
If Tafur's report is accurate though, the early returns on Richardson's Raiders tenure are not promising, potentially opening up the door even wider for Murray - who has all of 82 rushing attempts and 424 yards to his name in the NFL - to lock down the top spot and Roy Helu to man the third-down, pass-catching role as Murray's No. 2.
