News & Info/Headlines

Maurice Jones-Drew Signs With Raiders
As NFL.com's Lance Cartelli noted earlier today, "The veteran movement in Oakland marches on. ..." Maurice Jones-Drew has agreed to a three-year deal with the Raiders.

Coming off a season plagued by injury, Jones-Drew will look to replace Rashad Jennings, who signed with the New York Giants in free agency, as he joins oft-injured Darren McFadden in the Raiders' backfield -- one that's likely to meet with considerable skepticism from fantasy football owners.

According to CSNBayArea.com's Scott Bair, the Raiders were in need of a strong, consistent rushing presence to headline the unreliable backs currently on the roster. McFadden is talented yet injury prone. As long-suffering owners of the former first-round draft pick will tell you, McFadden has yet to make it through a full 16-game season since he joined the league in 2008.

Meanwhile, Latavius Murray is unproven after missing his rookie year with an ankle injury and Kory Sheets has only had success playing Canadian football.

Bair went on to note that Jones-Drew is an Oakland native and there was an appeal to playing for the team he grew up cheering for. He also wanted a chance to be a major contributor and rebound after averaging a career-low 3.4 yards per carry last season. He struggled with an ankle injury following a clothesline tackle by Raiders safety Charles Woodson, which clearly impacted his play.

He missed most of 2012 with a foot injury that eventually required surgery. Prior to that, Jones-Drew had been productive and durable.

All told, he has 8,071 rushing yards and 68 touchdowns in his illustrious career. He also has excellent ball security, losing just 15 fumbles in eight years.

Before 2013, Jones-Drew never averaged less than 4.2 yards per carry during a professional career spent entirely with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Jaguars plan to move forward with former Viking Toby Gerhart as their featured back.