Las Vegas Raiders: 3 biggest positional upgrades this offseason
3. Defensive Backs
It has been no secret that one of the biggest issues the Raiders have had through the years has been on the back end of their defense. Not since the days of Nnamdi Asomugha have the Raiders had a cornerback that put the fans at ease each week.
Over the years, fans have seen them try to acquire top talent through both the draft and free agency, most notably taking DJ Hayden 12th overall in 2013, and more recently Gareon Conley 24th overall in 2017. Though Conley showed flashes at times of having CB1 ability, neither panned out, and only furthered Raider Nation’s disbelief that they’ll ever acquire top tier talent at the cornerback position.
Very similarly, we have seen trial and error at the safety position as well, as the Raiders didn’t pick up the fifth-year option on first round pick Karl Joseph, effectively letting him walk in free agency. With then-rookie Johnathan Abram being injured in Week 1 for the season last year, we haven’t gotten a real look at the impact he can make, though things look bright from the small amount we have seen.
As mentioned before, the Raiders used this year’s draft and free agency to bolster the secondary in different ways. At the safety position they brought in Damarious Randall and Jeff Heath to help bring some depth and veteran presence to the locker room via free agency.
They then attacked the cornerback position primarily through the draft, taking Ohio State’s Damon Arnette at 19th overall, and feisty slot corner Amik Robertson out of Louisiana Tech in the 4th round at 139 overall. A lot of heads turned when the Raiders made the Arnette pick, as he was projected more so to go in the second round.
Mike Mayock said, however, they saw a guy with great talent in all facets of his game and didn’t want to miss out on him since they had no second round pick at the time.
All in all the Raiders secondary got exponentially better from where they sat going into this offseason. They added a young, physical talent at the cornerback position, while also adding veteran presence to the safety group.
With second year players like Trayvon Mullen, Isaiah Johnson, and Keisean Nixon poised to make a big impact in 2020, the Raiders could potentially have a really talented group for years to come if they can all develop together.
In a division where they have to face Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Keenan Allen, and newly added Broncos wideout Jerry Jeudy twice a year, it is imperative they get off to a hot start and gel as a group from the get go.