Why Latavius Murray Is Oakland Raiders' Best Fit at Running Back

Of all the position battles that will take place in the Oakland Raiders' training camp, the competition for the starting running back spot could prove to be the most important.

When looking at all of the additions the Raiders made this offseason, it doesn't seem that running back was too high on the list of priorities. Even with the retirement of Maurice Jones-Drew and the departure of Darren McFadden via free agency, Oakland didn't seem too concerned with this position.

Ultimately, that'll prove to be the right decision, because the team's 2015 starting running back was already on the roster.

The Raiders brought in Roy Helu Jr., but he'll be a supplemental part of the offense. When it comes to the starting job, the competition will come down to free-agency gamble Trent Richardson and the returning Latavius Murray.

In only three years in the NFL, Richardson has already failed to make an impact as a part of two different organizations. Murray, on the other hand, has flashed promise in limited opportunities.

When the first-string Oakland offense lines up for the first time on August 14 to host the St. Louis Rams, it should be Murray who lines up alongside Derek Carr in the backfield.

The 2014 Rushing Attack That Wasn't

Given that Oakland finished last season with a 3-13 record, plenty of things need fixing. But for all of the areas in which the team struggled, the one thing that stood out more than any other was the historically bad rushing attack.

The running game was glaring in its absence. Oakland finished the season with the worst overall ground attack in the NFL.

		Rank
Total Attempts	337	Last
Total Yards	1240	Last
YPA	3.7	t-26th
YPG	77.5	Last
TDs	4	Last
Fumbles	10	Last
Fumbles Lost	4	t-22nd

The Raiders struggled in a lot of areas including the passing game, pass rush and secondary. But there were some positive signs from Carr, including some games when he looked like a true franchise quarterback. On defense, the team has some promising talent in Khalil Mack, D.J. Hayden and T.J. Carrie.

The team struggled in those areas, but there was at least something to build on.

Uncredited/Associated Press/Associated Press/Associated Press/Associated Press

That wasn't the case with the rushing attack, which was a lost cause from Week 1. Every week, the offense was frustratingly one-dimensional, and it became apparent that the running backs were never going to pull their weight.

For the season, McFadden and Jones-Drew combined to average 6.7 carries per game, 20.7 yards per game and 2.8 yards per attempt. They had a grand total of two touchdowns.

Early in the season, the team had to accept that the combination of McFadden and Jones-Drew just wasn't going to work. The offense just had to figure out a way to succeed without a ground game.

The 2014 Rushing Attack That Was

The Oakland rushing attack was a weekly exercise in frustration until Week 11 when Murray finally got his opportunity. His resume consists of a six-game sample. But in that limited time, he showed that he's capable of producing on a weekly basis.

Week	Att	Yards	YPA	Long	TD
11	4	43	10.8	23	0
12	4	112	28.0	90	2
14	23	76	3.3	16	0
15	12	59	4.9	25	0
16	23	86	3.7	25	0
17	10	37	3.7	8	0
Total Averages	12.7	68.8	5.4	31.2	0.3

*Murray didn't play Week 13 due to a concussion

Murray's breakout game came in Week 12. He had an inspiring 90-yard touchdown run that helped the Raiders win their first game of the season.

While that game draws most of the attention, Murray's overall efficiency shouldn't be overlooked. If you take out his Week 12 performance, he still averaged 14.4 attempts and 60.2 yards per game, with 5.3 yards per attempt. He had an average long carry per game of 19.4 yards.

The stats alone might not seem too impressive. But they look much better when taken in context. Murray didn't get a chance until late in the season. Before that, the Raiders experimented with the combination of Jones-Drew and McFadden, and that experiment failed. Badly.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

It wasn't until Murray began to see an increased workload that the running game finally showed signs of life. Oakland's ground game improved in attempts per game, yards per carry and yards per game once Murray took over as the primary ball-carrier.

In the bleak wasteland that was the Raiders' ground game in 2014, Murray was the sole beacon of hope.

He is far from proven, but that's primarily due to a lack of opportunity. He missed his entire rookie season due to injury, and he didn't get significant playing time until late in his second year.

But when he was on the field, he was consistently dangerous. The more he played, the better the Oakland offense looked.

He displayed vision, burst and top-tier open-field speed. He hasn't yet proved that he's the long-term answer, but he's done enough to earn the opportunity to show that he is.

Why Not Richardson?

Richardson was one of the most highly touted running backs coming out of college in recent memory. Even in an era when the running back position continues to be devalued, he was still taken third overall in the 2012 draft.

In his rookie season, he showed some promise. There were signs that he could be successful in the NFL. Unfortunately, that year has thus far been the high point of his career.

	Games	Att	Yds	TD	YPA	YPG
2012	15	267	950	11	3.6	63.3
2013	16	188	563	3	3.0	35.2
2014	15	159	519	3	3.3	34.6

While Richardson's rookie season was a productive one, it certainly wasn't a great one. More importantly, his production has continued to decline since then.

The biggest issue has been his lack of vision. The image of this play from last season's game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Arizona Cardinals summarizes what has been Richardson's running style for most of his time in the NFL (h/t CBSSports.com's Pete Prisco):

Unfortunately, that wasn't an isolated case. He showed the same lack of vision game after game, including in the Colts' matchup against the Denver Broncos (h/t Rashad Alaiyan):

"

Trent Richardson's career summed up in one photo. pic.twitter.com/I773ndcAYd

— Rashad Alaiyan (@rashadalaiyan) March 12, 2015"

These types of plays have been all too common for Richardson since he entered the NFL.

On these plays, it seems as if he is purposely looking for the defenders. The end result is that he struggles to get out of the backfield, negating any opportunities to make plays farther down the field.

More importantly, this aspect of his game has been established over time. The Raiders hope that this will change in Oakland.

But that was the same situation they were in with the now-departed McFadden. For all of his physical abilities, he struggled to avoid the first defender, which too often kept him from getting beyond the line of scrimmage and exploiting his talent in the open field. Eventually, the team recognized that this wasn't going to change and chose to let the former first-round pick go.

That happened to Richardson in Cleveland. It happened to him in Indianapolis. The harsh reality is that the same scenario is likely to repeat itself in Oakland.

Murray vs. Richardson

Every team wants the next Adrian Peterson in its backfield. But having a superstar running back isn't necessary. So what exactly does Oakland need from its starting running back in 2015?

The answer is simple: efficiency.

Murray has shown that he has the ability to break loose for a big gain on any play. But more importantly, he's shown that he can be productive on a down-by-down basis.

Yes, his sample of work is limited. But we can take away two important details from what he's already done. In the six games he played in from Weeks 11 to 17, he averaged 5.4 yards per carry and had a run of at least 16 yards in five of those six games. He's consistently productive and always a threat to explode for a monster gain.

There's also the question of how good Murray and Richardson can actually be.

In the case of Richardson, his ceiling is already evident, and it isn't high. At this point, the best the Raiders can hope for is he might occasionally be effective in taking pressure off the quarterback.

Murray, on the other hand, has a much higher ceiling. It's so high, in fact, that Bleacher Report NFL Analyst Matt Bowen believes Murray has the potential to be Oakland's offensive MVP in 2015.

The Raiders are in desperate need of a reliable running back. And after last season's performance on the ground, there's nowhere to go but up.

In Murray, Oakland doesn't just get a consolation prize—a player who will be an improvement by comparison alone. He has real potential to become one of the better running backs in the league. That makes him one of the most intriguing backs in the NFL heading into next season.

And it certainly makes him Oakland's best fit at the position in 2015.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats taken from Pro-Football-Reference.com and NFL.com.

Share your thoughts in the comments section below and on Twitter @BrianJ_Flores.