Iowa football: James Butler making most of opportunity with Raiders

Former Iowa football back James Butler was a late addition to the Oakland Raiders roster, but he is making the most of his opportunity in the preseason.

At the start of training camp, former Iowa football player James Butler didn’t have a job, but just a few days into it, he was brought on to the Oakland Raiders after they waived running back Chris Warren III. This comes after Butler spent last summer in the Raiders training camp as well.

The Nevada transfer and number two running back option in the Iowa football offense is wasting no time making sure Jon Gruden and the Oakland Raiders remember his name.

In three games, he has been a workhorse for the Raiders. So far, he has 34 carries, the most on the team, and he has led the team in rushing attempts every single game while accumulating 117 yards on the ground. He’s also added 5 catches for 55 yards which included a nice 30-yard catch and run last night.

Despite the concerted effort to get Butler the ball during the preseason, his chances of making the roster are tough to judge at this point. The top two spots are all but locked up, and behind that, it just depends on how much Gruden values seniority and draft status.

The top two backs on the depth chart are 2019 first-round draft pick Josh Jacobs and former first-round pick Doug Martin. After that, it’s former undrafted free agent Jalen Richard, who has spent the last three seasons with the team and received a second-round tender this offseason, and DeAndre Washington, Oakland’s 5th round pick in 2016.

Richard, as the second-round tender would suggest, has had a nice career with Oakland so far, rushing for over 1,000 yards total and averaging 5.3 yards per pop while Washington has struggled, averaging 4.2 yards per carry on fewer carries in the same time span.

With that much depth at the running back spot already, it’s hard to find a spot for Butler on the active roster, but getting this many carries will provide valuable game film for another team who needs some running back depth, and it could be enough to secure a practice squad spot for Butler as extra insurance in case any of Oakland’s current backs go down.

If for some reason he doesn’t land with a squad, the upstart XFL is beginning next year, and my guess is the former Iowa football player will be high on their radar given his pedigree, talent, and work ethic.

Butler’s final chance to shine this preseason will come August 29th when Oakland takes on the Seattle Seahawks.