Washington Football Team: Under-the-radar free agents team could sign on offense
RB Devontae Booker, Raiders
Not much was made last season of the Raiders’ decision to sign Devontae Booker. After four years with the Denver Broncos, Booker had been phased out of the team’s offense entirely, but the Raiders trusted him enough to serve as a backup to Josh Jacobs.
Booker performed well for the Raiders. He served as a top backup and made one start for the team, but even still, his ceiling is higher than his performance indicates.
Booker had 423 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the season. That said, he did that on just 93 carries. Granted, he was fresh because of his lack of usage, and he did run behind a strong offensive line, but he still produced when called upon.
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On the season, Booker averaged 4.5 yards per carry. And since 2018, he has averaged 4.8 yards per carry while averaging 20.3 catches and 138.7 receiving yards per season. He is a well-rounded player, and while he may not be the most explosive player in the league, he can produce in a solid situation.
Washington would provide just that. The team doesn’t need a starting running back or even a third-down back. Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic can be a solid one-two punch in that area.
However, Washington does need better depth at RB and a player that could challenge Peyton Barber and take on his role. Barber had 94 carries last year, one more than Booker, but had 258 yards, 165 fewer than Booker. As such, Booker would clearly be an upgrade over Barber even if he regressed a bit. And even if they were equal, Booker is a better receiver than Barber, so Booker could be a nice bargain upgrade.
Booker would probably find success in Washington. The Raiders may have a better line than that of the WFT, but it’s not like the WFT has a bad blocking unit. In fact, the unit exceeded expectations last year and opened up a lot of holes for Gibson and McKissic. So, if Booker can handle 95-100 carries, take some pressure off Gibson, and perform well as a depth piece for Washington, he could be a worthwhile signing.
That’s one way that Washington could upgrade their depth without breaking the bank.