Raiders still have options to address a need
It’s been surprising that the Las Vegas Raiders haven’t addressed the cornerback position in free agency yet. While the defense does have some young talent in Jakorian Bennett, Jack Jones and Decamerion Richardson, the unit could use a legitimate CB1. The good news is there are a handful of quality corners still available on the open market.
Rasul Douglas
Douglas signed with the Raiders four years ago but failed to make the team and it looked like his career was quickly heading nowhere. However, he eventually landed with the Green Bay Packers that year and went on an impressive run where he logged 14 interceptions and 40 passes defended from 2021 to 2024.
Granted, Douglas will turn 30 by the start of the regular season and is coming off a down year with the Buffalo Bills. That isn’t an encouraging combination, but it might be worth it to see what he has left in the tank as the eight-year veteran could be the top corner in Las Vegas next season.
Asante Samuel Jr.
Of all the cornerbacks listed here, a strong argument could be made that Samuel makes the most sense for the Raiders. He has great ball skills with six career interceptions and 37 passes defender in the regular season in addition to three more picks and six PD during one playoff game in 2022. Also, he’s still young, turning just 26 in October.
The problem is Samuel suffered a shoulder injury that limited him to just four games last year and it appears to be a lingering issue.
“‘Just wanted to make sure for the long run I’ll be good, make sure my health overall is good,’” Samuel said, via The Athletic’s Daniel Popper. “‘I wish I could have been out there with the team. It was killing me not to be out there with those guys. But I had to make sure my health was good.’
“Samuel said he was “born with” this ailment. This season, the symptoms first flared up during practice in Week 1. He played four games after that first instance. The symptoms flared up again after a collision in practice before a Week 6 game at the Denver Broncos, according to Samuel. He said he has felt symptoms in both shoulders, but the left shoulder has been worse than the right one.”
So, signing the former Charger is a gamble but that shouldn’t be too much of a deterrent for a team that plays in a city built on rolling the dice, literally.
Mike Hilton
Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images
With Nate Hobbs now in Green Bay, Las Vegas could use a quality nickelback. Hilton could come in a fill that role as he’s built an eight-year career out of being an excellent slot defender. He’s posted coverage grades from Pro Football Focus of 67.0 or better every season, including a solid 68.5 mark in 2024. Also, he can play the run and led all cornerbacks with an elite 91.6 run defense grade and 21 defensive stops last season.
The 31-year-old wouldn’t be a long-term solution and wouldn’t fill the Raiders’ need for a premier outside corner. However, he would be a good temporary fix to help mitigate the loss of Hobbs.
Shaquill Griffin
Pete Carroll knows Griffin well as the 2017 third-round pick was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks and played four seasons with the club. He managed to pick off six passes and record 48 passes defended in Seattle while earning a Pro Bowl bid during the 2019 campaign.
That being said, he hasn’t been the same player over the last five years and was more of a rotational corner with the Minnesota Vikings last year. But if Carroll wants to bring in a familiar face to add more talent to the secondary, Griffin is a decent option.
Kendall Fuller
Fuller has been a quality corner in the league for several years, earning above-average PFF coverage grades in seven out of nine seasons. Recently, he had a stretch from 2021 to 2024 where he earned marks of 78.7, 75.4 and 82.8, respectively.
However, the 30-year-old is coming off a down year where his graded dipped to 62.4 and he missed six games with two separate injuries. The latter has been an issue throughout Fuller’s career and getting older certainly doesn’t hurt matters. He’d be a decent pickup at this stage in free agency, but isn’t a sure thing nor a long-term solution.