The Raiders Believe in CB Eric Stokes

The Las Vegas Raiders had a lot of moving pieces on the defensive side of the ball this offseason. The Raiders did not bring back everyone from last year's team and it was hard to see some key players on the defensive side of the ball leave the team this offseason. It was hard because some played their best football of their career last season with the Silver and Black.

But not all was lost because the Raiders were able to bring in some talented players as well in positions of need. The Raiders new regime of head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek did a good job of not overpaying or making a move that would cause the Raiders some trade value, or would not plan out. That is what the Raiders have done in the past, and it has not worked out for them.

Next season, the one position group that will be the biggest question on the defensive side of the ball is the cornerbacks. The Raiders will be young at that position, and it is going to look like they are going to roll with the players they have. The Raiders have good belief that the players who are at that position will do good for them next season and they will bring out the best in them.

A player that the Silver and Black brought in was cornerback Eric Stokes. Stokes has had an interesting career. He was a former first-round pick by the Green Bay Packers. And out of the gate, he started fast in his NFL career, but after his first season, he cooled down a bit, and some had to do with injuries.

Our Hondo Carpenter talked about Stokes in a recent episode of the "Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast."

"A healthy Stokes, playing the way he played early in his career, automatically upgrades the cornerback position," said Carpenter. "It is a weak part of the team. And if this guy is playing like he did earlier in his career, and they think he is, it's going to be a big deal."