After stops in Cleveland and Indianapolis, the former first-round draft pick joined the Oakland Raiders as a free agent in March.
Where He's Been
After a dominant 2011 season with the Alabama Crimson Tide that saw him rush for 1,679 yards and score 21 touchdowns on the ground, the Cleveland Browns selected Richardson in the first round (No. 3 overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft.
Richardson proceeded to turn in an impressive rookie campaign, starting 15 games for Cleveland and rushing for 950 yards. However, in 2013 he only appeared in two games for the Browns in before being traded to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for a first-round selection in the 2014 NFL Draft.
The young running back spent the remainder of 2013 and all of 2014 with the Colts, struggling to replicate the success he found his rookie season, rushing for 977 yards and six touchdowns total during his nearly two seasons with the Colts.
Fitting in With the Silver and Black
Richardson has been up front and honest about the disappointment he's felt the past two seasons, but now that he has a fresh start with the Raiders, he's planning on making the most of it.
"I know what they [the coaching staff] expect and how they're going to spread the field, putting me in a position to be successful," said Richardson. "With that, in talking to [Head] Coach [Jack Del Rio], he just said there is just a lot of opportunity out here. He said he isn't going to promise me anything, but if I come in and work, I can be that bell cow."
The Raiders will be the 25-year-old back's third team in his short career, but Richardson plans on making it stick with the Silver and Black.
"Hopefully this is my last stop, and I'm going to do whatever I can to make this my last stop," Richardson said. "Until I'm ready to walk away from the game, I don't want to leave here."
The Bottom Line
Running back Latavius Murray enters training camp as the incumbent in Oakland, but Richardson finds himself in a very interesting position in the Raiders backfield.
A look at the Raiders position by position - we continue with running backs.
The position group underwent a total overhaul this offseason, and at just 25 years old, and entering the most important year of his career, Richardson will be motivated to put his best foot forward when the team opens training camp.
Best case scenario? Richardson rediscovers what he's been missing the past few seasons, blows the coaching staff away when the pads come on and supplants Murray as the bell cow for the Raiders.
More likely scenario? Murray puts his stamp on the starting job early and Richardson finds himself in a complementary role this season, which wouldn't be the worst thing for either him or the team.
