Rising Raiders Star Predicted to Have a Surprise Shot at Starting Job

The Las Vegas Raiders did well to shore up some of the numerous holes on their roster this offseason, but entering training camp, there were still a handful of starting jobs up for grabs. One of those was the starting cornerback role alongside Eric Stokes on defense, and an unexpected name has surprisingly made some noise in this competition.

With Jakorian Bennett getting traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, most folks believed that either Darien Porter or Decamerion Richardson would earn the starting job. However, Kyu Blu Kelly has suddenly thrown his hat into the ring, and it could result in him being one of the Raiders’ starting cornerbacks come Week 1.

Kyu Blu Kelly Continues to Impress with the Raiders

Kelly broke into the league as a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft with the Baltimore Ravens, but he ended up getting released before the start of the season. After that, Blu would spend time with the Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, and Washington Commanders in his rookie campaign, before he ultimately got released by the latter team ahead of the 2024 campaign.

That led Kelly to the Raiders, where he has spent the past year of his career. For the most part, Kelly was a practice squad player last season, but he did take the field for four games, racking up only a pair of tackles on special teams. Despite his lack of playing time, Kelly kept working on improving his game behind the scenes, and his hard work has paid off this summer.

With Las Vegas having a cornerback job wide open for the taking, Kelly has thrust himself into the competition, earning the starting nod in the team’s second preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers. Besides Stokes, Kelly has looked like the Raiders’ best cornerback, and it led Case Keefer of the Las Vegas Sun to predict he will earn the starting job over Porter and Richardson.

“The 24-year-old Kelly has spent the last week and a half splitting first-team repetitions with rookie cornerback Darien Porter in practice,” Keefer wrote. “In the Raiders’ lone home preseason game of the year Saturday against the 49ers, Kelly made the first start of his professional career. And it’s unlikely to be the last … Kelly appears to be a virtual lock to make the roster with the only question being how much of a workload he gets in the regular season.”

Kyu Blu Kelly Making Raiders’ Decision at Cornerback Quite Difficult

GettyKyu Blu Kelly is enjoying the opportunity to compete for a starting role with the Raiders

Kelly’s rise has been an unexpected development for the Raiders, but in the wake of Bennett getting traded, it’s been a welcome surprise for the team. Of course, succeeding during training camp and preseason action doesn’t guarantee Kelly will be a stud for Las Vegas when the regular season rolls around, but he’s looked the part of a starting cornerback throughout the summer.

The competition isn’t wrapped up just yet, but it’s looking increasingly likely that Kelly will get the first shot to make the starting cornerback job his own once Week 1 rolls around. He will look to finish out training camp on a high note and turn in another strong performance in the Raiders’ preseason finale against the Arizona Cardinals.