Raiders Trade for Mike Goodson

Added on Apr 02, 2012 by Scott in

NFL

The Raiders bolstered their backfield depth late last Friday when they acquired Panthers running back Mike Goodson in exchange for offensive tackle Bruce Campbell. With Michael Bush moving on to the Bears, a reliable backup was needed as insurance for the oft-injured Darren McFadden. Goodson was made expendable when Carolina signed Mike Tolbert to join DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart.

Goodson will be given every opportunity to carve a niche in Oakland and is eager to impress after a change of scenery.

“Being behind DeAngelo and Stewart for a couple of years has been difficult just wanting to play and being a competitor,” Goodson said. “I wasn’t looking to leave but anywhere that gave an opportunity, I’m definitely up for that.”

Goodson appeared in 28 games in three seasons with the Panthers, playing sparingly behind Williams and Stewart. His best stretch of games came in November of 2010 as an injury replacement; he amassed 100-plus yards from scrimmage in three consecutive starts.

Despite proving himself capable of contributing to the backfield rotation, Goodson rode the pine most of 2011 under new coach Ron Rivera, touching the ball only once all season. He apparently found a home in Rivera’s doghouse after fumbling the ball repeatedly in the preseason.

Blessed with excellent speed, Goodson can also return kickoffs. He’s expected to compete with equally speedy runner Taiwan Jones for carries in the Raiders backfield. New general manager Reggie McKenzie sees his latest addition as a good fit for the offensive attack.

“We wanted to acquire another player to compete at the running back position,” McKenzie said. “He can do a lot of things in our scheme on offense. He’s very versatile, he has natural running skills, he’s a great receiver out of the backfield, and he has kick-return ability. I’m anxious to see if he can put all that together here as a Raider.”

The loss of Bruce Campbell is minimal. The look like Tarzan play like Jane tackle never exceeded his workout warrior reputation. Oakland also signed ex-Colts linebacker Philip Wheeler to replace Kamerion Wimbley who was released last month.

Source: ESPN.com