The Raiders brought in Jon Gruden, and it seemed like a good idea at the time. Now I’m wondering if he’s lost his touch after nine years away from the game. He’s come up with a couple of head scratchers early in free agency.
The Raiders have signed Doug Martin, and that’s hard to figure. He’s had a couple of big seasons and supposedly impressed Gruden in a face-to-face meeting. But Martin is 29 years old and has looked pretty awful the last two years, averaging only 2.9 yards per carry.
Thirty seven other backs have carried the ball at least 200 times in the last two years, and they’ve all been a lot more effective than Martin. I remember the San Diego game in 2016; the Bucs brought in Jacquizz Rodgers in the fourth quarter, and he gave the running game a spark – outplaying Martin. And another unheralded nobody, Peyton Barber, outplayed Martin late last year.
Best I can offer on the Martin is that I don’t know the value of the contract. If it’s not much more than the veteran minimum, then I suppose I have no problem with bringing in Martin for a look.
| YARDS PER CARRY (2016-17) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Att | Yds | Avg | TD |
| Mark Ingram, N.O. | 435 | 2167 | 5.0 | 18 |
| Kareem Hunt, K.C. | 272 | 1327 | 4.9 | 8 |
| Bilal Powell, NYJ | 309 | 1494 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Dion Lewis, N.E. | 244 | 1179 | 4.8 | 6 |
| Mike Gillislee, N.E. | 205 | 960 | 4.7 | 13 |
| Ezekiel Elliott, Dall. | 564 | 2614 | 4.6 | 22 |
| LeSean McCoy, Buff. | 521 | 2405 | 4.6 | 19 |
| Jordan Howard, Chi. | 528 | 2435 | 4.6 | 15 |
| Devonta Freeman, Atl. | 423 | 1944 | 4.6 | 18 |
| Jay Ajayi, Mia.-Phil. | 469 | 2145 | 4.6 | 9 |
| Alex Collins, Balt. | 243 | 1098 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Isaiah Crowell, Clev. | 404 | 1805 | 4.5 | 9 |
| LeVeon Bell, Pitt. | 582 | 2559 | 4.4 | 16 |
| Derrick Henry, Tenn. | 286 | 1234 | 4.3 | 10 |
| Marshawn Lynch, Oak. | 207 | 891 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Spencer Ware, K.C. | 214 | 921 | 4.3 | 3 |
| Orleans Darkwa, NYG | 201 | 862 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Carlos Hyde, S.F. | 457 | 1926 | 4.2 | 14 |
| Tevin Coleman, Atl. | 274 | 1148 | 4.2 | 13 |
| David Johnson, Ariz. | 304 | 1262 | 4.2 | 16 |
| LeGarrette Blount, Phil. | 472 | 1927 | 4.1 | 20 |
| DeMarco Murray, Tenn. | 477 | 1946 | 4.1 | 15 |
| C.J. Anderson, Den. | 355 | 1444 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Latavius Murray, Minn. | 411 | 1630 | 4.0 | 20 |
| Todd Gurley, LAR | 557 | 2190 | 3.9 | 19 |
| Terrance West, Balt. | 232 | 912 | 3.9 | 7 |
| Melvin Gordon, LAC | 538 | 2102 | 3.9 | 18 |
| Robert Kelley, Wash. | 230 | 898 | 3.9 | 9 |
| Leonard Fournette, Jac. | 268 | 1040 | 3.9 | 9 |
| Lamar Miller, Hou. | 506 | 1961 | 3.9 | 8 |
| Frank Gore, Ind. | 524 | 1986 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Matt Forte, NYJ | 321 | 1194 | 3.7 | 9 |
| Jeremy Hill, Cin. | 259 | 955 | 3.7 | 9 |
| Jonathan Stewart, Car. | 416 | 1504 | 3.6 | 15 |
| Devontae Booker, Den. | 253 | 911 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Jerick McKinnon, Minn. | 309 | 1109 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Chris Ivory, Jac. | 229 | 821 | 3.6 | 4 |
| Doug Martin, T.B. | 282 | 827 | 2.9 | 6 |
The Raiders also surprised me by going hard after Jordy Nelson, who signed a two-year deal worth $15 million. They released Michael Crabtree, so it will be Nelson starting opposite Amari Cooper.
Nelson will be 33 in May, and I don’t know how much he has left. He’s certainly not the explosive playmaker he was prior to missing the 2015 with a torn ACL.
The flicker of hope with Nelson is that he’s probably not quite as bad as he appeared to be last year, when he didn’t score in any of his last 10 games. Nelson definitely was adversely affected by trying to play with Brett Hundley. The rapport that Nelson has with Aaron Rodgers simply wasn’t there.
If you look solely at what Nelson did when Rodgers was on the field and conclude that he can still do that, then it’s reasonable to think he can adequately replace Crabtree.
Nelson averaged 52 yards in his five full games with Rodgers last year, with 6 TDs (that’s setting aside the Atlanta game, where Nelson was injured very early). Rodgers went 23 of 35 when passing for his long-time receiver. That’s 11.7 yards per catch. They have a nice chemistry on back-shoulder fades around the end zone.
Nelson averaged only 21 yards in nine full games with Hundley, with no touchdowns. Hundley went only 33 of 59 when passing for Nelson, who averaged only 6.9 yards per catch in those games.
So just maybe Nelson has a decent year left in him, but I’m skeptical. I’m not assuming Derek Carr will be able to step on the field and make Nelson feel like he’s playing with Aaron Rodgers.
—Ian Allan