1 Player the Raiders Need to Step Up After the Bye Week

Raiders' Rising Rookie

Entering the season, it was no secret that arguably the most significant weakness on the Raiders' roster was its group of cornerbacks. The players on the unit are more unproven, than anything else. Still, Las Vegas did not address the position adequately.

However, the Raiders did add rookie cornerback Darien Porter, who many believe will eventually develop into a contributor for the Raiders. The only problem is, the Raiders need that development to come much sooner than originally expected.

The rookie cornerback recently noted that he takes his development seriously. Porter plans to only focus on the things he can control, such as his effort. He believes if he does so, things will turn out well for him. The Raiders' coaching staff desperately hopes his assessment is correct.

“I know as a rookie, there’s things that you need to improve upon, things I still learn every day,” said Porter, who has allowed just one catch on three targets for 9 yards. “So, that’s my approach. I know if I do what I should be doing day in and day out, the cards will fall where they will, and I’ll be happy with where I’m at, at the end of the day.

“It’s easy to sit on the sideline and nitpick. ... It’s just about all of us coming together and being able to fix whatever may be the problem and then attacking it the next week.”

Following the Raiders' blowout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll noted his desire to get rookie cornerback Darien Porter more playing time over the next few weeks, as Las Vegas tries to dig their way out of a dismal 2-5 start to the regular season.

"Darien [Porter], I'm always looking for chances to get him out there and get him playing. So, that's good and we'll continue to do that. There are guys up front on the offensive line and on the defensive line that we would love to give some playtime to. We stuck a couple guys in there just to get a couple snaps in at the end. They just need to be on the field, so we're going to continue to push that way.”