Should Raiders look to add backup to Josh Jacobs?

The Raiders hit it big last year with the drafting of running back Josh Jacobs with the 24th overall pick in the first round.

The former Alabama standout ran for a Raiders rookie record 1,150 yards and seven touchdowns. He was a perfect fit in head coach Jon Gruden’s offense, which uses a heavy dose of the run game and short passing concepts to help open the field for large-chunk pass plays.

In every sense, Jacobs is the kind of back Gruden can heavily lean on as an offensive anchor. And at 22-years-old, he is just scratching the surface. Nevertheless, the Raiders would be wise to consider adding a backup to ease some of the burden.

And not just because Jacobs began showing signs of wear and tear as the year progressed, including a painful shoulder injury that limited his effectiveness and eventually cost him three games.

More and more, NFL football is trending toward a running back by committee approach. Plus, Gruden’s coaching history suggests he likes to deploy multiple backs in games and over the length of the season, mixing various skill sets and strengths to create an abundance of options to attack opposing defenses.

Think Tyrone Wheatley and Napoleon Kaufman in his early years with the Raiders and Cadillac Williams, Michael Pittman, Thomas Jones, Mike Alstott, Earnest Graham and Warrick Dunn with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In four of Gruden’s 13 coaching seasons, he’s produced running attacks with two backs who exceeded at least 750 and 490 yards, including the Wheatley and Kaufman tandem (936/714 and 1,046/499) Pittman and Alstott (718/548) and Pittman and Jones, who had 751 and 627 yards in 2003 in Tampa Bay.

As the Raiders’ running back room currently stands, besides Jacobs, only Jalen Richard returns with any level of production. An undrafted free agent from Southern Mississippi, Richard has been with the Raiders since 2016 and has 1.170 career rushing yards on 233 carries and 323 receiving yards on 36 receptions.

The Raiders opted to let primary backup DeAndre Washington leave as a free agent. Washington recently signed with the Kansas City Chiefs, taking 387 yards and three touchdowns from last year with him.

The Raiders’ decision not to retain Washington is a good sign they believe they can find an upgrade through the draft. Armed with five of the first 91 picks and seven overall, there is reason to believe they can find value on the second and third days of the draft.

Three players immediately come to mind, and each should be available to the Raiders in the third and fourth rounds.

Zack Moss, Utah

Moss is arguably part of the top-tier of running backs in this year’s draft, evidenced by his 1,416 yards, 15 touchdowns and 6.0 yards per carry average in 2019. He also had 28 receptions for 388 yards and two touchdowns.

Moss is not a speed guy. An unfortunate hamstring tweak at the NFL scouting combine pushed his 40 time to 4.65, which caused red flags and likely caused him to drop on some draft boards, perhaps even into the third round, where the Raiders could reel him in.

His punishing running style, production and pass-catching ability make him a perfect complement to Jacobs. It’s important to remember that his 40 time while injured is still comparable to the 4.62 Kareem Hunt, for whom he’s been compared, ran at the 2017 combine.

A.J. Dillon, Boston College

A big-bodied bruiser with a surprisingly nifty running style, Dillon was incredibly productive in his three years at Boston College, finishing with 4,382 yards rushing and 38 touchdowns.

At 6-feet, 247 pounds, Dillon could stand to play a little bit leaner to enhance his quickness. But his 4.54 40 time at the combine reflects a big man who can move. As a backup to Jacobs, his pedigree as a reliable, productive back would be an ideal fit.

Joshua Kelley, UCLA

Kelley played just two years with the Bruins after transferring from UC Davis, but he was productive, gaining 2,303 yards of 454 carries and scoring 24 touchdowns.

At 5-11, 212 pounds, he’s big enough to be a physical runner and will create plenty of yards after initial contact. But he’s also extremely nimble with great vision and can make tacklers miss at the point of attack.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore onTwitter.