Jul 24, 2024; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants cornerback Darnay Holmes (30) participates in drills during training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Raiders Have Familiarity With CB Addition Darnay Holmes

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Aidan Champion | Last updated Aug 30, 2024 4:00 PM ET

It's always good to have some familiarity on your team.

Former New York Giants cornerback Darnay Holmes is new to the Las Vegas Raiders, but he has experience playing under Coach Antonio Pierce and Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham.

"I've known Darnay since he was 13," Pierce told reporters on Thursday. "I coached him on the 7-on-7 team when he was a freshman. I know his father, I know his family well, followed him throughout his career, spoke to him throughout this college process. So, Patrick [Graham] was very familiar with him. And you look through that 53-man roster; I know everybody saw our roster like, 'OK, you're all set and done.' But it's always about getting better, and that was a great opportunity. We have Nate Hobbs there at the star nickel position, and Darnay has played a lot of football. He's been productive as well, so that gives us depth. He’s a really good special teams player and a good pro."

Holmes spent the last four seasons with the New York Giants, where he played under Graham in his first two seasons in the league. Graham served as the Giants defensive coordinator for the 2020 and 2021 seasons prior to joining Las Vegas' staff.

The veteran cornerback is quite versatile, which of course, always makes for a valuble addition for a team.

"Yeah, position flex," Pierce said. "I mean, that's key for us, right? Really, the only guy we got that can go inside-outside or outside-inside is Nate Hobbs. So, when you can add another player like that, Isaiah Pola[1]Mao does it as well from a safety position. You see him a little bit at the nickel position, you've seen that obviously in the preseason. So, just the more flexibility you can get, the better it is for our team. It makes us a better overall unit."

The Giants selected Holmes in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He has made 11 starts in 54 games so far in his career, totaling 115 tackles, three for a loss, 18 passes defensed, four interceptions, two forced fumbles and half a sack.

This article first appeared on Las Vegas Raiders on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: