The Las Vegas Raiders needed both a culture shift and a complete roster overhaul after a brutal four-win campaign in 2024. This prompted the hirings of head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek this offseason, who have delivered on both of these goals.
Carroll has seemingly made football fun for the Silver and Black, and Spytek has left no stone unturned trying to improve this football team ahead of the 2025 NFL season. Spytek has dramatically upgraded the offense in just one offseason with additions like Geno Smith and Ashton Jeanty.
Defensively, however, it has been a different story. The rookie general manager took a gamble and parted ways with eight of the team's Week 1 starters on defense from last season, and through two preseason games, that appears to be a bit of a mistake, especially at one position.
Preseason exposed Raiders' massive cornerback problem after offseason moves
While it is important to understand that Patrick Graham and Co. are not showing their best stuff and keeping things pretty simple on defense during the preseason, the cornerback position, in particular, has left plenty to be desired.
Spytek was banking on the fact that free agent Eric Stokes could revert back to his rookie form, Decamerion Richardson could take a Year 2 leap and third-round rookie Darien Porter could be an immediate impact player in Las Vegas.
Although there is only a small sample size to base things on, none of the three aforementioned hopes have come true. Stokes has been the most solid of the group, and the other two, as well as Kyu Blu Kelly, have shown promise. But this position could be a major weakness for an otherwise solid group.
During Saturday's preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers, Stokes, Porter and Kelly combined to give up seven receptions for 95 yards on nine targets, and a QBR of well over 100. Richardson was a bright spot, as he was not targeted in 13 coverage snaps
In fairness to Spytek and the Raiders' staff, some of their concerns with last year's players have already manifested themselves in one short offseason. Both Nate Hobbs and Jakorian Bennett have dealt with injuries on their new teams, and Jack Jones is already having epic highs and lows in Miami.
The cornerback room could stand to make a veteran addition, and there is no shortage of suitable players out there. Not only would this raise the floor of the Las Vegas defense, but it may finally give the unit a veteran presence to lean on and learn from.
There is still time for this group to grow and develop, so all hope is not lost. If the cornerbacks continue to play this way, however, it won't be long until Raider Nation starts to point out that Spytek made a major mistake parting ways with all three starters at the position from last season.
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