When healthy, the Raiders’ Darren McFadden is one of the most dynamic running backs in the NFL, but, for the 4^th overall pick in the 2008 draft, healthy seasons have been hard to come by. In fact, he’s only surpassed 113 carries in 1 of his 4 career seasons. The Raiders have always had a solid backup for him, with the most recent being Michael Bush.

However, Bush signed in Chicago this offseason to provide insurance for Matt Forte, leaving the Raiders with undersized 2011 4^th round pick Taiwan Jones and Mike Goodson, who the Raiders traded for this offseason, behind McFadden. Goodson didn’t get a carry in 2011. Some expected they’d go after a veteran running back like Cedric Benson, most recently of the Cincinnati Bengals, but the Contra Costa Times disagrees, reporting that they “don’t see” Benson signing with the Raiders.

Benson has had 3 straight seasons of 1000 yards as the lead back in Cincinnati’s offense, but he has been one of the worst starting running backs in the league over that time period. At age 30 in December, with a history of off the field troubles, the league seems to think he’s not worth the trouble anymore. He has yet to go on a single team visit and the Raiders were the most obvious landing spot remaining for him.