The Las Vegas had the worst rushing attack in the NFL last season (79.8 yards per game) by a noticeable margin. History says head coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly will be able to fix that with a reshuffling of the top of the running back depth chart, but the only move made thus far is the signing of soon-to-be 33-year old Raheem Mostert.
Look at a good portion of mock drafts right now, and you'll see the Raiders taking Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty at No. 6 overall. Beyond the possibility of Jeanty, taking a running back somewhere in April's draft feels like a lock for Las Vegas.
But the trade market could still yield some possibilities to explore, and Carroll might favor a familiar face to lead a refurbished running game similarly to how he wanted to acquire Geno Smith to be the Raiders' new quarterback.
Trade proposal reunites Pete Carroll with wrong running back to fix Raiders' rushing attack
On his list of seven surprising trades that could still happen after the early part of free agency, Moe Moton of Bleacher Report had the Raiders swinging a deal for a running back.
"Las Vegas Raiders receive: RB Kenneth Walker III
Seattle Seahawks receive: 2025 sixth-round pick"
"Las Vegas has arguably the worst backfield. Raheem Mostert, who turns 33 in April, leads the unit. Sincere McCormick flashed in a handful of games last year, but he suffered a season-ending ankle injury and is still an unproven commodity."
"Raiders head coach Pete Carroll can call his former team and inquire about Kenneth Walker III. Seattle may be willing to move on from the 24-year-old because of his declining production and recent injuries. He's seen a drop-off in his rushing numbers since his 2022 rookie season."
Injuries have been a thing for Walker over his first three seasons, with two, two and six missed games respectively since Seattle took him in the second round of the 2022 draft. That draft position means he's entering the final year of his rookie contract, but there is absolutely no indication the Seahawks are looking to trade him.
And even if they were willing to trade Walker, it would take a lot more than a sixth-round pick to get him.
However, Moton did follow his proposal with an angle that makes sense after mentioning how Zach Charbonnet filled in capably for Walker last season.
"As UCLA head coach, Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly coached Charbonnet between 2021 and 2022, though Seattle may prefer to keep him and trade Walker."
Charbonnet had over 1,100 rushing yards with 13 touchdowns in his first season under Kelly at UCLA, then he followed that with over 1,300 yards and 14 scores in 2022. Then Carroll was of course the Seahawks' head coach when they drafted Charbonnet in the second round of the 2023 draft, a year after taking Walker in the same round.
It's not a stretch to say the Raiders could call (or have called?) the Seahawks about one of their top running backs Carroll had a hand in drafting, and maybe both are unavailable. But let's concisely go into a hypothetical.
Charbonnet seems like a more viable trade target than Walker, and he also seems to make a lot more sense for the Raiders due to having also played for Kelly.
