Will The Las Vegas Raiders Add Depth At Cornerback?

The Las Vegas Raiders have done plenty of work with regard to the cornerback position this offseason. With training camp on the horizon, the question remains whether the team’s brass needs to add more depth, perhaps another veteran. Let’s take a look at it in this edition of news Raiders.

General manager Dave Ziegler was busy this offseason revamping much of the roster, and cornerback was no exception. First, the team moved on from Casey Hayward. Despite being arguably the team’s best defender in the backfield, he wasn’t going to be a good fit with Patrick Graham’s defense. To reload, the Raiders added Rock Ya-Sin, Anthony Averett, and Darius Phillips. Most recently, Chris Jones was picked up, though many fans were disappointed with the team for losing out on James Bradberry. The Raiders also picked up help following the draft in the form of some undrafted free agents. Most notably was the signing of Sam Webb.

News Raiders: Who’s left out there for Vegas?

The depth that the Raiders currently possess is notable. Phillips had some impressive seasons in 2019 and 2020. During those stretches, he recorded solid numbers, per Pro Football Focus. Jones earned 68.1 coverage and 94.3 pass-rush grades in 2020. The previous season, he posted a remarkable 83.8 coverage grade. As for Jones, he saw little playing time, a total of 67 coverage snaps. While it was a tiny sample, he did manage a 70.4 coverage grade, though we should keep that in perspective.

None of these players strike fear into opposing defenses. However, that isn’t to say they can’t be solid contributors to Graham’s scheme. As mentioned earlier, Bradberry was an offseason target that fans wanted, but the Raiders just didn’t have the resources to make it happen on time. We even asked Raiders fans on Twitter if they still felt as if the Raiders needed to make a move with regard to cornerback. Be sure to cast your vote!