Las Vegas Raiders need to add a veteran cornerback in free agency
By Brad Weiss
One of the bigger needs for this Las Vegas Raiders defense is at cornerback, and they have plenty of options in free agency this year to bolster the group.
During the 2019 NFL season, the Oakland Raiders got strong play from rookie cornerback Trayvon Mullen. Taken with the No. 40 overall pick the previous April, Mullen took a while to crack the starting lineup, but once he got in there, he showed he could possibly be the CB1 this franchise has been lacking for quite some time.
The problem is, outside of Daryl Worley, the position group as a whole struggled, especially free agent signing, Lamarcus Joyner. In 2020, the word is Joyner is moving back to safety, which means the cupboard is pretty barren in terms of cornerback, outside of some young players in Isaiah Johnson and Keisean Nixon.
Worley is likely to be brought back in free agency if the team can come to an agreement with him, and Mullen is obviously under contract. Johnson was a 2019 draft pick as well, and Nixon earned his role on the team last year as an undrafted player, and he showed he could be a nice depth piece at the NFL level.
In terms of building this position group up, the Raiders have a golden opportunity to do so in free agency this year, as there is some solid talent out there. Guys like Byron Jones, Logan Ryan, Chris Harris, and Bradley Roby headline a group that can come in here and start right away, taking some of the heat off of the second-year Mullen.
Looking at the Raiders roster, they need help all over the defense, including revamping the linebacker group, adding more talent up front, and of course building up the cornerback spot. That is where they should focus their money this offseason, as they can take care of wide receiver during the draft, and they do not need to spend on a quarterback like many people want them to.
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Playing Patrick Mahomes twice a season is a daunting task, so the Raiders have to focus on building up the defense this offseason. Moving into a new building in a new city, the organization is going to want to put a winning product on the field right away, and that won’t be the case if the defense plays the way it did last season.