Raiders seen as fit for former All-Pro safety

Even this late in the offseason, the Las Vegas Raiders are still on the lookout for new talent in the secondary.

Despite adding to the defensive backfield in free agency and the draft, the Raiders are still looking for talent. They brought in former Pete Carroll cornerback Shaquill Griffin for a visit during last week’s minicamp, and they have been linked to the likes of Jaire Alexander and Jalen Ramsey. The team is still clearly looking for improvements, but there are numerous ways to go through that.

Another less-talked about is also on the table, should the Raiders choose to pursue it.

The Raiders can get a measure of revenge against a division rival by signing one of their former stalwarts.

According to CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin, the Raiders are a team that could be interested in asking about free agent safety Justin Simmons.

“Linked to big-name cover men like Jaire Alexander and Jalen Ramsey thanks to their dearth of proven options at cornerback, the Raiders could just as easily use a savvy starter on the back end under the defensively minded Pete Carroll,” wrote Benjamin. “Besides possessing plenty of 2025 salary cap space to add help, the Raiders also employ pass game coordinator Joe Woods, who served as Simmons’ first defensive backs coach in Denver.”

Safety is not usually talked about for adding a player to the Raiders, but players of Simmons’s caliber are rarely available in mid-June.

A four-time All-Pro, Simmons once terrorized the Raiders and the rest of the AFC West with the Denver Broncos. Last season, however, he was forced to wait until August to sign a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons. Despite being 31, Simmons has plenty of gas left in the tank, recording multiple interceptions in each of his nine seasons.

Where Simmons fits into the Raiders is unclear, but there is a way that can help the team out.

John Spytek spoke positively about safety Jeremy Chinn, praising his versatility and veteran leadership. However, with the Raiders’ lack of options at the position, Chinn is somewhat relegated to serving in a strict safety role. Signing Simmons, however, to patrol downfield with Isaiah Pola-Mao would give defensive coordinator Patrick Graham to utilize Chinn in more ways, similar to how the Los Angeles Chargers deploy Derwin James.

Simmons is not the first option that came to mind with helping the Raiders, but the team would undoubtedly be better off with him.