McFadden has a history of injuries ranging from turf toe in his rookie year to a Lisfranc injury that shut him down while he was on pace to be an MVP candidate in 2011. In the loss to the Eagles, McFadden had to leave with a hamstring injury. This time the McFadden injury was different. There was a silver lining to McFadden leaving the game.
In McFadden's absence, Rashad Jennings averaged 6.8 yards per carry and scored a touchdown on one of Oakland's few highlights of the day. Jennings finished the game with 102 rushing yards on 15 carries and seven receptions for 74 yards to total 176 yards from scrimmage.
Jennings was signed in free agency this past offseason to be the primary backup to McFadden. Now here we are, nine weeks into the season, and McFadden is still set to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. Contract negotiations between McFadden's agent and Oakland's front office could be difficult because of McFadden's potential versus injury risk.
The Raiders drafted running back Latavius Murray in the 2013 NFL draft, but he is currently on the injured reserve list. He could certainly contribute as a backup in 2014 when he returns at full health. The Raiders also have Marcel Reece in their backfield, and although he is listed as a fullback, he is capable of doing just about anything.
The way Jennings played with McFadden out made it look like Jennings fits better in Oakland's offense. McFadden is averaging 3.7 yards per carry on the year compared to the 3.9 YPC from Jennings. Although the difference is small in terms of production, the difference in salary is large. Jennings is only takin...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
