The Raiders have a lot of depth at running back but each one of them come with question marks.  Whether it’s health (Michael Bush and LaMont Jordan) or suspensions (Dominic Rhodes) the Raiders will need some positive answers to those questions.  LaMont Jordan will likely be the main man as long as his knee holds up.  He played in 9 games (8 starts) and he carried the ball 114 times for 434 yards (3.8 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 10 passes for 74 yards (7.4 avg) with 0 TD catches.  Jordan has not taken full advantage of his opportunity in Oakland to be an undisputed starter as now he will have to earn every carry….which is a good thing for the Raiders.  Jordan has played in 85 games (22 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 648 times for 2,736 yards (4.2 ypc) with 21 TD runs.  He also has caught 130 passes for 1,054 yards (8.1 avg) with 3 TD grabs.

Dominic Rhodes has been suspended by the NFL for the first four games but he will likely split the carries 50/50 with Jordan unless Jordan dominates in those games.  Rhodes was a key player in the Colts run to a Super Bowl Championship last season.  He played in all 16 games last season for the Colts and he carried the ball 187 times for 641 yards (3.4 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  He also caught 36 passes for 251 yards (7.0 avg) with 0 TD grabs.  Rhodes has always been the #2 running back in the offense except for one season when Edgerrin James got hurt and he rushed for over 1,000 yards that season.  He has played in 71 games (27 starts) in his NFL career and he carried the ball 550 times for 2,274 yards (4.1 ypc) with 19 TD runs.  He also caught 90 passes for 649 yards (7.2 avg) with 1 TD grab.

Michael Bush will likely be brought along slowly as a rookie for the Raiders.  Bush would have been a first round pick if he wasn’t so seriously injured at Louisville last season.  The Raiders probably stole Bush just like the 49ers did with Frank Gore a couple of seasons ago.  Now they only need him to stay healthy to reach his immense potential.

Justin Fargas finally started to show what he could do on the football field last season.  He played in all 16 games (6 starts) and he carried the ball 178 times for 659 yards (3.7 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 13 passes for 91 yards (7.0 avg.).  It will be interesting to see how much Fargas gets to play this season.  He probably will get a lot of playing time until Dominic Rhodes returns from his suspension so he needs to play well early in the season or he will likely get nailed to the bench.  Fargas has played in 52 games (7 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 258 times for 1,016 yards (3.9 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also has caught 27 passes for 170 yards (6.3 avg) with 0 TD grabs.

ReShard Lee has been brought back by the Raiders but he will likely be buried on the depth chart.  Lee played in all 16 games (3 starts) last season for the Raiders and he carried the ball 21 times for 72 yards (3.4 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 20 passes for 138 yards (6.9 avg) and he returned 4 kickoffs for 49 yards (12.3 avg).  Lee has been a decent reserve running back in the NFL but he shouldn’t see much of the field this season.  Lee has played in 37 games (4 starts) in his NFL career and he carried the ball 59 times for 216 yards (3.7 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He also has caught 22 passes for 147 yards (6.7 avg) with 0 TD grabs and he has returned 60 kickoffs for 1,332 yards (22.2 avg) with 0 TDs.

The Raiders have signed Cody Pickett as a free agent in case Andrew Walter isn’t ready to start the season because of the knee surgery he underwent in the off season.  Pickett played in 2004 and 2005 for the San Francisco 49ers and the results weren’t pretty.  Pickett played in 6 games (2 starts) for the 49ers and he completed 18 of 45 (40%) passes for 195 yards with 0 TD passes and 4 interceptions (16.4 QB Rating).  He also carried the football 14 times for 47 yards (3.4 ypc).  Don’t expect much out of Pickett in 2007.

The Raiders have claimed DE Bill Swancutt off of waivers from the Detroit Lions.  It will be interesting to see if Swancutt can add anything at all to the Raiders.  He didn’t play in a game last season for the Lions and he has only played in 8 games in his NFL career and he has never made a tackle.  Don’t expect much out of him this season for the Raiders.

The Oakland Raiders have decided to cut Courtney Anderson loose.  The Raiders wanted a better receiver at the tight end slot so that’s why they let Anderson go.  Anderson played in all 16 games (11 starts) for the Raiders last season and he caught 25 passes for 285 yards (11.4 avg) with 2 TD catches.  Anderson played 3 seasons for the Raiders and he played in 39 games (28 starts) and he caught 62 passes for 763 yards (12.3 avg) with 6 TD grabs.

The Raiders have cut safeties Jarrod Cooper and Darnell Bing.  Cooper was suspended by the NFL for steroids abuse and he picked a bad time to get caught as the Raiders have fortified their safety crew.  He played in all 16 games and made 12 tackles mostly on special teams.  He might have a hard time finding a new job due to his suspension.  Darnell Bing did not play as a rookie as the Raiders tried to move him to linebacker and they have decided that he just can’t cut it in the NFL.

The Raiders have suspended safety Jarrod Cooper for four games due to him using steroids.  He played in 16 games last season for the Raiders and he made 12 tackles.  Cooper is mostly a special teams player and the Raiders are stocked at safety so this could wind up costing him his job.  Cooper has played in 81 games in his NFL career and he has made 126 tackles, has 1.5 sacks, defensed 3 passes, forced 2 fumbles and he recovered 3 fumbles (one returned for a TD).

The Raiders have signed linebacker Isaiah Kacyvenski to a 1-year, $720,000 contract.  He played in 13 games for the Rams last year and he only made 9 tackles.  Kacyvenski has played in 100 NFL games over his career and he has made 271 tackles, has 1 sack, 3 interceptions, defensed 2 passes, forced 3 fumbles and recovered 1 fumble.  Look for Kacyvenski to help the Raiders on special teams and to give them depth in their linebacking corps.

The Raiders have signed strong safety Donovin Darius to a contract for this season.  Darius fits in with the intimidating aura that surrounds the Oakland Raiders and he often tries to knockout players with big-time shots.  He played in 10 games last season with the Jaguars and he made 48 tackles and defensed 3 passes.  Over his NFL career, Darius has played in 115 games and he has made 614 tackles, has 2 sacks, 14 interceptions, defensed 35 passes, forced 8 fumbles and he has recovered 6 fumbles (one returned for a TD).

Darius will battle incumbent starter Stuart Schweigert for the strong safety job.  Schweigert was outstanding in run support but he didn’t make a lot of big plays.  Schweigert played in all 16 games last season for the Raiders and he made 107 tackles, defensed 4 passes and recovered 1 fumble.

Dominic Rhodes has been suspended for the first 4 games of the 2007 season for violating the NFL Substance Abuse Policy.  Rhodes played in all 16 games last season for the Raiders and he carried the ball 187 times for 641 yards (3.4 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  He also caught 36 passes for 251 yards (7.0 avg).  This will hurt the Raiders a little bit as they were planning on splitting the carries between Rhodes and LaMont Jordan to keep both of them healthy and effective.  This will give Justin Fargas and Michael Bush a chance to tote the rock and show what they can do early in the season.