NAPA, Calif. -- There is no doubt Darren McFadden is 100 percent healthy, now the Oakland Raiders must hope the premier running back keeps his health all season.
McFadden looked fantastic on Monday as the Raiders opened training camp. His performance Monday followed up a strong offseason program in which he displayed his health. He missed the final nine games of last season with a foot injury.
After his first training camp practice as the Raiders’ head coach, Dennis Allen dropped an understatement while discussing McFadden: “We all understand that he’s an explosive playmaker for us, and we need him to be healthy for the entire season.”
The Raiders are inexperienced behind McFadden since Michael Bush departed to Chicago in free agency. The team has Mike Goodson and Taiwan Jones as McFadden’s backups. Allen reiterated the team’s confidence in McFadden’s backups.
Yet, I wouldn’t be shocked if the Raiders jumped on a veteran running back at some time. The team has talked to Cedric Benson, but there is a reason why Oakland hasn’t signed him yet. If the Raiders were really interested in signing Benson, he’d be signed by now.
I think Oakland is going to evaluate the position often to see if it needs to upgrade, but right now, it is standing pat as it hopes McFadden can stay healthy.