Marshawn Lynch On Young Raiders RBs: ‘I’m Their Daddy’

Last season, the Oakland Raiders had a solid running game with Latavius Murray leading the way along with up-and-coming backs Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington. Now the team has potentially gotten a considerable upgrade at the position with Marshawn Lynch coming out of retirement and signing with the team.

With Richard and Washington showing promise last season, Lynch, while enjoying retirement, was taking notice. Lynch recently talked about the two backs in Oakland, via Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com.

“They’re all talented,” Lynch said at the end of training camp. “The biggest thing is that most of them probably were watching me when they were in middle school or high school, so it’s kind of crazy. I call all of them my kids, so I’m their daddy.

“But to watch them work and see the work that they put in is a blessing and at the same time, I want to make sure that I uphold their standard of what they put on film. They’re all good so I just want to make sure that I fit in with them and continue to just run the ball like the Raiders have been doing.”

At 31, it’s unclear how many years Lynch may have left in his career. The veteran is under contract in Oakland for this season and the next, but there’s no telling what his production on the field will be like or if he’ll want to walk away after the 2017 campaign.

That being said, Lynch is playing the role of a star running back while also being a mentor to Richard and Washington who seem to be the future of the position for the Raiders.

On Saturday, the Raiders will get back to work as they’re set to go up against the Dallas Cowboys in Texas at AT&T Stadium. It will be the third of four preseason games with Oakland set to finish out the exhibition period against the Seattle Seahawks, Lynch’s former team, on Aug. 31 at Oakland Coliseum.