NFL Rumors: Oakland Raiders Would Be Smart to Trade Darren McFadden

There is no doubt that Darren McFadden is one of the best running backs in the NFL when he is healthy. The problem is that he has been plagued by injuries his whole career.

That's why the Oakland Raiders need to trade him.

Before hurting his foot in Week 7 and missing the remainder of the season, McFadden was the NFL’s leading rusher and was a dual-threat machine. The Raiders looked great with Run-DMC leading the way.

In six full games to start the season, the Raiders' star had 614 rushing yards, 154 receiving yards and five touchdowns. While it’s obvious that the man can’t stay healthy for a complete season (missed at least three games in every year he has played), it’s just as obvious how dangerous he is when he is on the field.

With the Raiders first pick in the 2012 NFL Draft being No. 13 of the fifth round, they need to make moves to reacquire some higher picks and support the rebuilding process. That means trading McFadden.

Raiders’ blogger for Contra Costa Times Steve Corkran offers this tidbit on twitter:

While I’m sure this will have Raider Nation up in arms, this would be the smartest move the team could make for the long haul.

If Oakland traded McFadden he would get the Raiders at least two quality picks in the draft from a team desperate for a runner like Run-DMC. It’s true that teams may be turned off by his injuries, but his numbers last year when healthy are enough to get at least one team to take the risk.

Those two picks could be the offensive lineman and cornerback that the team needs far more than another running back. This brings me to the second reason for trading Darren McFadden: Michael Bush.

If the Raiders were smart, they would lock soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Bush up to a nice contract that would be less than McFadden’s over time. In McFadden’s absence Bush had just under 1000 yards and eight total touchdowns.

Oakland needs to make their decision at running back, and then everything else will fall into place.

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