Veteran Free Agent Fits – Steven Jackson
Throughout his nine year reign with the St. Louis Rams, Steven Jackson was considered one of the best running backs in the game. During eight of his nine seasons with the Rams, Jackson ran for over 1,000 yards and averaged six touchdowns a season. Since his release after 2012, Jackson has not found the same success he was accustomed to having. Though he has passed the 30-year old peak many talk about, Jackson was still able to make a solid contribution to his team. What running back hungry team will give Steven Jackson that shot to regain his former glory?
2014 Stats: 707 yds, 6 TD, 3.7 YDS/A
Dallas Cowboys
After loosing DeMarco Murray to the Eagles, the Cowboys have been put in a tough spot. They couldn’t trade for Adrian Peterson and the team opted not to draft someone in a running back driven class. They currently plan to rely on the oft-injured Darren McFadden and underwear thief Joseph Randle. Though his YDS/A is not great, its better than the teams’ current starter McFadden. With an offensive line like Dallas’s, Jackson will be free to run as he wishes. If Jackson wants a chance to win and get playing time, Dallas is the place to go.
Oakland Raiders
Can you name the Raiders starting running back? No? Neither can most people. Its Latavius Murray. His back-up? Trent Richardson, whom the team picked up after massive failures in Cleveland and Indianapolis. The Raiders have not one respectable running back to start for them week one against Cincinnati at home. If the teams’ current running backs continue to be ineffective, Derek Carr will be thrown into the fire more times than he deserves. If Carr is going to have a shot in this league, get him a running game. Last season, Jackson had as many touchdowns as Murray, Richardson and third stringer Roy Helu combined. Never count the Raiders out of anything.
Tennessee Titans
The Titans have a cluster of running backs, but none of them have succeeded. Shonn Greene only had two reasonably successful seasons, but those were back in 2011 and 2012. Bishop Sankey was a major disappointment last season. David Cobb was drafted out of Minnesota, but I’ve never been a big fan of him. Mariota is used to having solid running backs, so providing him with someone who’s had as much success as Jackson is a great move.