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Raiders make decision on Marshawn Lynch after signing new running back

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After taking a year off, Marshawn Lynch returned to the NFL in 2017 with a new team, the Raiders, but without the dominance he showed with his old team, the Seahawks.

Lynch had his moments during Oakland’s disappointing 6-10 season, but he failed to match the success he had with Seattle, where he had four straight 1,000-plus yard seasons from 2011 through 2014.

Last year, “Beast Mode” had 891 yards on 4.3 yards per carry in 15 starts. He reached the end zone seven times.

While he signed a two-year deal with the Raiders, there were questions about whether the team would cut Lynch and his high salary this offseason and move on.

The questions remained after Oakland, under new coach Jon Gruden, signed former All-Pro running back Doug Martin from Tampa Bay last week.

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Would Martin be Lynch’s replacement?

No, according to multiple reports.

The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said Lynch is not only going to play in 2018, he’s going to remain the team’s feature back.

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Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal took it a step further, saying the Raiders plan to “build around Lynch,” who will be 32 in April.

Gruden himself said the team is “counting on him.”

“Looking at the film and a game that I broadcasted on Christmas night, there’s no question he’s still a beast that’s hard to bring down” Gruden told the NFL Network in February during its coverage of the NFL combine. “One of the reasons I’m excited to be with the Raiders is to join forces with Lynch. But we’ll see what happens. Obviously, we’ve got to take a look at the entire roster. But I’m counting on him. I’m counting on him being a big part of our football team.”

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Lynch is certainly not getting any younger, nor are the Raiders. In addition to adding the 29-year-old Martin, Oakland signed wide receiver Jordy Nelson from the Packers; Nelson will be 33 in May.

Martin was an All-Pro in 2015, when he rushed for 1,402 yards. But his productivity plummeted the next two seasons, in part because of injuries: Martin gained a total of 827 yards in 2016 and 2017, with a horrible 2.9 per carry.

With the perennial powerhouse Patriots losing key players and coaches, the AFC is up for grabs, and it looks like the Raiders are in “win now” mode, judging by their offseason moves.

Offense probably won’t be a problem for Oakland, but if the Raiders want to have any chance of winning in 2018, they need to improve a defense that ranked near the bottom of the league last year.

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Dave is a lifelong sports fan who has been writing for The Wildcard since 2017. He has been a writer for more than 20 years for a variety of publications.
Dave has been writing about sports for The Wildcard since 2017. He's been a reporter and editor for over 20 years, covering everything from sports to financial news. In addition to writing for The Wildcard, Dave has covered mutual funds for Pensions and Investments, meetings and conventions, money market funds, personal finance, associations, and he currently covers financial regulations and the energy sector for Macallan Communications. He has won awards for both news and sports reporting.
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