Veteran cornerback Marcus Peters is back where he was a few months ago; on free agency looking for a new team. In a somewhat surprising move, the Las Vegas Raiders cut him following a lackadaisical performance in Week 12 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Marcus Peters was benched during the game, which was seemingly the last straw for the new regime in Las Vegas. He had started all 12 games for the silver and black, recording one interception with five passes defended and 43 total tackles.
Two years removed from a major knee injury, Marcus Peters was attempting to showcase that he still had something left in the tank to offer teams as a playmaking cornerback. He hasn’t quite regained the same form he showed previously, but he can certainly offer a team some veteran experience and depth on their roster.
With the contenders separating themselves from the rest of the pack, there are a few teams that could certainly be interested in bringing the veteran in. If he is looking for the opportunity to play the most snaps, his preferred list of landing spots will differ from the contenders.
Where could be end up? A reunion with one of his old teams, the Los Angeles Rams, could make sense. Outside of Aaron Donald, there aren’t many recognizable names on their defensive unit. Marcus Peters would bring some leadership to a team he knows well that is on the fringe of the playoff picture in the NFC.
One of the Rams’ biggest rivals, the Seattle Seahawks, was also mentioned as a possible landing spot. To remain in the playoff hunt, bolstering their secondary would make sense. Adding Marcus Peters to star rookie Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen would give Seattle a dominant trio in the secondary to rely on.
Those teams should be motivated to make a move solely to keep the San Francisco 49ers from adding another impact playmaker. The 49ers have the top-ranked defense in the NFL, but their secondary is a bit of a weakness. Adding Marcus Peters would shore things up for what they hope to be another deep playoff run.
After being hit hard by injuries on the defensive side of the ball, the Detroit Lions would be smart to check in on Marcus Peters as well. With C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Emmanuel Moseley sidelined for the season, they could use a veteran in the backend to help get things back on track.
Last but not least, the Miami Dolphins know how important it is to have a good defense. They spent lavishly this offseason to upgrade, bringing in Jalen Ramsey and David Long Jr. in the offseason. Marcus Peters could be the icing on the cake, giving the Dolphins the best cornerback trio along with Ramsey and Xavien Howard.
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