Ranking the Raiders' Top 30 2026 Players: No. 8

Las Vegas left no stone unturned while adding additional talent, using their resources to quickly make progress on what was one of the worst rosters in the league at the end of the 2025 season. Although the Raiders made plenty of new additions, retaining several of their own players was also vital.

Over the next few weeks, we will rank the top 30 players on the Raiders' roster. There will be no rookies on this list, as it is impossible to make the list with zero regular-season snaps.

Ranking the Raiders' Top 30 2026 Players: No. 8 CB Eric Stokes

The addition of new free agents is always exciting. However, as last offseason proved for the Raiders, retaining the correct pending free agents already on the roster is just as critical as adding new talent at positions of need. This was a lesson Las Vegas learned the hard way last offseason.

After watching several talented players leave in free agency last offseason, only to have productive seasons with their new teams, the Raiders front office could not afford to make the same mistake this offseason. This is especially true because several of their pending free agents play critical positions.

The Raiders have needed help in their defensive backfield for multiple seasons. Las Vegas has seen significant turnover in its defensive backfield, with several players coming and going over the past few seasons alone. Las Vegas has been unable to assemble a cohesive group.

Last offseason, the Raiders added veteran cornerback Eric Stokes in free agency. The former first-round pick was searching for a chance to prove he could stay healthy and still play at a high level. He did both of those things last season for Las Vegas, becoming the team's most important corner.

Las Vegas wisely rewarded Stokes with a nice payday, one he earned with a solid season. The Raiders' front office hopes Stokes will continue to play at a high level beyond last season. At the moment, it is fair to believe he will.

The Raiders hope Stokes will not only continue to raise his level of play, but also the play of the group of young cornerbacks he is now surrounded by. Las Vegas has continued to add cornerbacks during the offseason as it looks to fix the unit. Stokes aims to be a leader moving forward.

“I just want to be a leader. I want to show everybody that I can actually lead, that I can actually be something other than just when I am, to where I want to be able to be everything, just be there for you, just know pretty much on and off the field that you got a brother. I don't want you to feel like you're alone. I want us to be connected in the DB room,” Stokes said. 

“One thing that Klint [Kubiak] always says, we're pretty much connected. That's one thing that I'm going to drive in my DB room to where it's any little thing going on, man, we are a brotherhood. We could go out, we could do everything." 

"We're going to celebrate together, we're going to go to dinners together, we're going to be pretty much like a family. This would be like college to me, all back in Athens. I just want to get that vibe again. So, that's me."

As the Raiders move into a new era, finding a way to solidify their group of cornerbacks once and for all has to be near the top of their to-do list. Las Vegas plays in one of the most challenging divisions in the National Football League, which features some of the league's best quarterbacks.

As training camp inches closer, the Raiders need the best players on their roster to play like it. Stokes is unquestionably one of those players. He is one of the best and most important players on the roster, as Las Vegas cannot afford to be without him this season.

The 2026 season will be yet another opportunity for Stokes to prove his value even more than he has already done. It will take the Raiders at least another offseason or two to fully build their defensive back group. Although it remains to be seen how they will do so, Stokes is a huge part of the plan.

Even after a productive offseason in which they added plenty of talent across the board, Las Vegas has a long way to go. The Raiders enter training camp and the upcoming regular season with questions still remaining about several position groups.

Arguably, no position group enters the next few critical weeks of preparation with more questions surrounding it than the Raiders' group of cornerbacks. Yet, for all the questions surrounding the group at the moment, few, if any, have much to do with Stokes.

The Raiders are on the right track right now. Their slew of offseason moves makes it fair to expect an improved team this upcoming season. However, if Stokes does not have a productive season, it seems highly unlikely that Las Vegas' group of cornerbacks will as a whole.

There are not many players on the Raiders' roster who have as much riding on their individual play as Stokes does this season. He is that important to the Raiders' defense. As Las Vegas prepares for the upcoming season, many eyes will be on Stokes and an unproven group of cornerbacks behind him.