26-year old Michael Bush and 22-year old Darren McFadden are going to handle most of the heavy lifting for the Raiders in the running game in 2010.  Michael Bush probably has the lead as far as carries go heading into training camp.  Bush played in 16 games (7 starts) for the Raiders last season in which he carried the ball 123 times for 589 yards (4.8 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He also caught 17 passes for 105 yards (6.2 avg) last year.  Bush has now played in 31 games (7 starts) in his career with the Raiders and he has carried the ball 218 times for 1,010 yards (4.6 ypc) with 6 TD carries.  He has also caught 36 passes for 267 yards (7.4 avg) in his career with the Raiders so far.  Bush is a power runner who is a good fit for the Raiders style now that his knee appears close to 100%.

22-year old Darren McFadden is a former high first round pick of the Raiders and he hasn’t looked too good as of yet.  He played in 12 games (7 starts) for the Raiders last season in which he carried the ball 104 times for 357 yards (3.4 ypc) with 1 TD run.  McFadden also caught 21 passes for 245 yards (11.7 avg) last season.  He has now played in 25 games (12 starts) in his two years with the Raiders and he has carried the ball 217 times for 856 yards (3.9 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  McFadden has also caught 50 passes for 530 yards (10.6 avg).  McFadden has the speed that Bush lacks so they could be a good tandem in 2010 if they both stay healthy.

30-year old Rock Cartwright is a solid backup RB and kickoff returner.  He played in 16 games (2 starts) for the Redskins last year in which he carried the ball 64 times for 228 yards (3.6 ypc).  Cartwright also caught 27 passes for 242 yards (9.0 avg) with 1 TD grab and he also returned 39 kickoffs for 868 yards (22.3 avg) last year.  Cartwright has now played in 123 games (5 starts) in his 8 years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 215 times for 889 yards (4.1 ypc) with 6 TD runs.  He also has caught 59 passes for 555 yards (9.4 avg) with 2 TD grabs and he also returned 222 kickoffs for 5,332 yards (24.0 avg) with 1 TD return. 

31-year old Michael Bennett once made a Pro Bowl (2002 with the Chiefs) but that was a long, long time ago.  Bennett played in 6 games (0 starts) for the Chargers last season in which he carried the ball 23 times for 65 yards (2.8 ypc).  He also caught 6 passes for 65 yards (10.8 avg) last season.  Bennett has now played in 100 games (50 starts) in his nine years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 842 times for 3,692 yards (4.4 ypc) with 13 TD runs.  He also has caught 157 passes for 1,285 yards (8.2 avg) with 6 TD grabs in his career.  Bennett still has some speed but his gas tank probably doesn’t have much left in it.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE RAIDERS RBs in 2010:  C-

The Raiders have signed 31-year old DT John Henderson to a 1-year deal.  The 6’7″, 335 pound Henderson played in 15 games for the Jaguars last season and he had 36 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 3 sacks, he forced 2 fumbles and he defensed 3 passes.  Henderson has now played in 124 games in his 8 years in the NFL and he has made 423 tackles, defensed 38 passes, forced 8 fumbles and he has 29 sacks.  This was a excellent move for the Raiders as Henderson is a pretty good defensive tackle who should help them improve the run defense.

The Oakland Raiders made a bold move on draft day in acquiring QB Jason Campbell from the Redskins (for a future 4th round pick) on Draft Day.  This allowed move allowed them the opportunity to cut JaMarcus Russell who was a GIGANTIC flop!  Campbell is only 28 years old and he seems to have improved every year he has been in the league which bodes well for the Raiders.  Campbell played in 16 games for the Redskins last season and he completed 327 of 507 passes (64.5%) for 3,618 yards with 20 TD passes and 15 INTs (86.4  QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 46 times for 236 yards (5.1 ypc) with 1 TD run last season.  Campbell has a good enough arm to make all of the throws, he protects the football and he can run if needed.  Campbell has now played in 52 games in his NFL career in which he has completed 1,002 of 1,637 passes (61.2%) for 10,860 yards with 55 TD passes and 38 INTs (82.3 QB Rating).  Campbell has also carried the ball 153 times for 786 yards (5.1 ypc) with 3 TD runs in his career to date.  Campbell is only 20-32 (38.5%) as a starting QB in the NFL but a lot of that record was not his fault.

27-year old Bruce Gradkowski will be Campbell’s backup in 2010.  He played in 7 games for the Raiders last season and he completed 82 of 150 passes (54.7%) for 1,007 yards with 6 TD passes and 3 INTs (80.6 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 18 times for 108 yards (6.0 ypc) last season.  Gradkowski has now played in 26 games in his NFL career and he has completed 279 of 523 passes (53.3%) for 2,824 yards with 15 TD passes and 16 INTs (65.9 QB Rating).  Gradkowski has also carried the ball 67 times for 291 yards (4.3 ypc) in his career.  Gradkowski has a 5-11 (31.3%) record as a starting QB in his NFL career.  Gradkowski is a tough guy but he doesn’t have much of an arm.  Still, he should be a solid backup QB as he played pretty well for the Raiders last year.

A pair of 28-year olds (Kyle Boller and Charlie Frye) will battle for the #3 job at QB during training camp.  Boller has the strong arm that owner Al Davis likes which will give him a small edge.  Boller played in 7 games for the Rams last season and he completed 98 of 176 passes (55.7%) for 899 yards with 3 TD passes and 6 INTs (61.2 QB Rating).  Boller also carried the ball 13 times for 76 yards (5.8 ypc) last season.  Boller has now played in 60 games in his NFL career and he has completed 844 of 1,487 passes (56.8%) for 8,745 yards with 48 TD passes and 50 INTs (70.6 QB Rating).  Boller has also carried the ball 160 times for 516 yards (3.2 ypc) with 2 TD runs in his career.  Boller has a 20-26 record (43.5%) as a starting QB in his NFL career.

Charlie Frye is a good runner but he is often careless with the ball which gets both him and his team in trouble.  Frye played in 3 games for the Raiders last season and he completed 53 of 87 passes (60.9%) for 581 yards with 1 TD pass and 4 INTs (65.3 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 4 times for 41 yards (10.3 ypc) last year.  Frye has now played in 26 games in his NFL career and he has completed 419 of 676 passes (62.0%) for 4,154 yards with 17 TD passes and 29 INTs (69.8 QB Rating).  Frye has also carried the ball 72 times for 347 yards (4.8 ypc) with 4 TD runs in his career.  Frye has a 7-16 (30.4%) record as a starting QB in the NFL.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE RAIDERS QBs in 2010:  C