HEADLINES

Jalen Richard

Raiders RB Jalen Richard On Roster Bubble?

June 30th, 2021 at 7:33pm CST by Ben Levine

The Raiders added Kenyan Drake to their running backs room earlier this offseason, and that could end up costing another Raiders RB their roster spot. As Tashan Reed and Vic Tafur of The Athletic write, five-year veteran Jalen Richard finds himself on the roster bubble heading into training camp.

The 2016 undrafted free agent out of Southern Miss was an immediate contributor, and by his junior season, Richard was leading the team’s running backs in yards from scrimmage (866). However, the organization added Josh Jacobs in the first round of the 2019 draft, and Richard has seen a reduced role over the past few years. This culminated in a 2020 campaign where the 27-year-old finished with a career-low 261 yards from scrimmage.

As the writers note, the Raiders could roster four or five running backs, so it’s not like Richard will lose his spot due to a roster crunch. Rather, Richard is set to make more than $3MM in 2021, and the front office could cut Richard, allocate that cash elsewhere, and rely on lower-price backups. Any of Theo Riddick, Trey Ragas, Garrett Groshek are cheaper alternatives who could push Richard for a roster spot.

Further, Richard made a name for himself thanks to his pass-catching ability, but Drake is expected to serve as the primary receiving back in 2021. Even quarterback Derek Carr discussed the similarities between the two running backs.

“I think Kenyan is a great player,” Carr said. “Super fast, super explosive. I don’t know if we were missing it, but I think he adds a dimension of just another threat. Him and Jalen Richard are similar. Very similar, but Drake [has] a receiver background.”

Richard doesn’t have a clear pathway to playing time, and with a modest hit against the cap, there’s a chance he could find himself playing elsewhere come the start of the regular season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/30/20

December 30th, 2020 at 4:57pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Baltimore Ravens

  • Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: K Sam Koch

Cleveland Browns

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: C Ryan Groy; Groy remains on IR

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Raiders To Re-Sign Jalen Richard

February 5th, 2020 at 1:10pm CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders are keeping Jalen Richard. On Wednesday, the club agreed to re-sign the running back to a brand new deal, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The new contract will pay him $7MM over two years, with the potential to earn up another $1MM through incentives. He’ll also see a full guarantee of $4.6MM.

[RELATED: Raiders To Pursue Tom Brady]

Richard lit up the stat sheet in Jon Gruden‘s first year at the helm by finishing 2018 with 68 catches for 607 yards, plus an average of 4.7 yards per carry in a limited sample size. Last year, the numbers weren’t quite as flashy, but he still showed value as a solid third-down running back with soft hands. Richard caught 36 passes for 323 yards in 2019 and added another 145 yards on the ground in 39 carries.

Last year, Richard earned roughly $3.1MM on a deal that he inked in April. This time around, he’s found security in a fresh pact far in advance of free agency.

As the Raiders move from Oakland to Las Vegas, they’ll continue to feature Josh Jacobs as their primary tailback. As a rookie, the Alabama product amassed 1,150 yards in just 13 games while averaging 4.8 yards per tote.

Raiders Re-Sign RB Jalen Richard

April 10th, 2019 at 6:49pm CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders have re-signed running back Jalen Richard, according to a team announcement. The Raiders cuffed Richard with a second-round tender earlier this offseason, but the new deal will supersede that placeholder. The terms of the fresh pact are not yet known. 

Last year, Richard led the team with 68 receptions and set a new high with 607 receiving yards. He also added 55 carries for 259 yards and one touchdown. This year, he figures to fill a similar role behind Isaiah Crowell and the team figures to add at least one other traditional ball carrier to the mix.

Still, Richard could see an uptick in touches – he offers a career 5.3 ypc average, albeit in a limited sample size.

Raiders Tender RB Jalen Richard, CB Daryl Worley

March 7th, 2019 at 9:09am CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders placed second-round tenders on both running back Jalen Richard and cornerback Darryl Worley. Both players are now earmarked for one-year, $3.095MM deals with Oakland, unless they are signed to an offer sheet from a club willing to surrender a second-round pick. Meanwhile, Raiders safety Erik Harris received one-year, $2.025MM original round tender as a restricted free agent.

The move to tender Worley at the second-round level is a bit of a head scratcher. In his case, an original round tender would have called for another club to surrender a third-round pick to sign him. That would have been ample protection for a player who graded out as the seventh-worst cornerback in the NFL last year, according to Pro Football Focus, but the Raiders took the extra step of protecting him with the second-round level tender. Ultimately, it will eat up about $1MM extra in cap space, and small missteps like that tend to add up.

The decision to protect Richard, a former UDFA, with the second-round tender makes more sense. Last year, Richard managed 4.7 yards per carry in a limited sample size and he boasts a career 5.3 ypc average. He’ll return to a Raiders team that may or may not feature Doug Martin and Marshawn Lynch in 2019.

Raiders Rumors: Mack, Conley, Richard

July 29th, 2018 at 8:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

The latest on the Khalil Mack front continues to paint a picture of a situation that has no resolution in sight. Mack remains a Raiders holdout. He and the team are not making progress on an extension, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). If that weren’t enough, Rapoport adds no communication’s commencing and no optimism exists. Jon Gruden having yet to speak with his top player is certainly interesting, with the now-two-time Oakland coach having accepted the job in January. Mack has not reported for any Raiders activities this year. But more than five weeks remain until the regular season begins. Unlike Aaron Donald, Mack has already accrued four seasons toward free agency after not holding out last year. This provides the 2016 defensive player of the year with leverage to continue his holdout beyond August 7, whereas Donald will have to make a big choice by then to avoid possible restricted free agency in 2019.

Here’s the latest from the AFC’s Bay Area franchise:

  • A shin injury Gareon Conley cost almost his entire rookie season, and the corrective surgery cost the 2017 first-round pick part of his offseason. The second-year cornerback has not experienced additional known shin trouble, but he now has encountered a hip problem. Conley missed Saturday and Sunday’s Raiders workouts because of this, and this raised eyebrows among some coaches, Vic Tafur of The Athletic notes (subscription required). The Raiders are calling this ailment a hip strain, but new DC Paul Guenther doesn’t anticipate Conley being out for too long. Daryl Worley took Conley’s place with the Oakland first-stringers, per Tafur.
  • Jalen Richard‘s also dealing with an injury, and without a roster spot secured, this setback figures to pose trouble for his latching on with Gruden’s Raiders. The return man/passing-down back suffered a calf strain at Sunday’s practice, Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. Richard was spotted walking without crutches after practice, however, but Gehlken anticipates the Raiders adding another running back. Richard and DeAndre Washington, both 2016 additions who have backed up Latavius Murray and then Marshawn Lynch, are believed to be competing for one roster spot. Richard is not expected to factor into the Raiders’ new-look return-men competitions, with the team having signed Dwayne Harris and traded for Ryan Switzer — both having experience under new ST coordinator Rich Bisaccia.
  • Kolton Miller has a legitimate chance to win Oakland’s starting left tackle job, with Donald Penn on the mend for now.