Report: Raiders interested in RB Benson

A couple months back, free agent running back Cedric Benson said he would be interested in playing for the Raiders. Well, according to a report by ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Raiders are now reciprocating that interest.

For some time now I have been saying the Raiders would be adding a running back to the mix and Benson is among the top names available on the free agent market. The Raiders don't have top dollar to pay anyone at this juncture but as teams have been filling their vacancies at running back, the price for whomever still remains continues to fall.

There are a few reasons I have suspected the Raiders would add another running back.

1. The team has yet to replace Michael Bush with a proven back.

2. They carried five running backs last camp and they currently have four-- Darren McFadden, Mike Goodson, Taiwan Jones, and Lonyae Miller.

3. They are allowed 90 players on the camp roster and they sit at 89.

Benson played with Carson Palmer in Cincinnati so if he receives Palmer's stamp of approval, he receives that of the Raiders organization as well. Benson is still a productive back, having gone over 1000 yards each of the past three seasons, all with the Bengals. He has also been fairly durable, missing just one game the past two seasons.

The Raiders are switching to the zone blocking scheme which could actually help Benson's play. He is also still below the 30 year old threshold. He would prolong his career a bit as a backup and provide a proven commodity in the highly probably instance Darren McFadden goes out with an injury.