The Las Vegas Raiders will have a lot of youth and talent at cornerback in 2020, making the position group an interesting one to keep an eye on as we inch closer to the season.
No position group will feature more new faces than cornerback for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020. Out of the 13 corners listed on the 90-man roster, eight will be donning the Silver and Black for the first time. While that amount of turnover can be worrisome, it was needed as the Raiders ranked in the bottom quarter of the league, allowing 256.7 passing yards per game last season.
Here is a look at the 2019 season at cornerback for then-Oakland, who the organization added and lost, and what the depth chart looks like after free agency and the draft.
2019 Season
Heading into the year, there was a lot of hope for the Raiders’ perimeter defenders. Gareon Conley was entering his third season and coming off a 2018 campaign where he showed promise towards the end. On the other side, Daryl Worley was expected to step up and take command of the secondary, and in the slot, Lamarcus Joyner was considered to be one of the prizes of free agency.
However, none of the players above were able to make the most of their opportunities.
Conley struggled mightily allowing a completion percentage of 66.7, four touchdowns, and a passer rating of 130.6 in six games with the Silver and Black. While Worley was better, he was far from the number one cornerback the team need him to be, surrendering 711 receiving yards and 15.5 yards per completion. As for Joyner, he put together his worst season as a pro with a completion percentage of 69.4 and a passer rating of 109.8 when targeted.
The latter two finished out the season in Oakland and the former was traded to the Houston Texans, which ended up bringing more hope to the position group.
That transaction allowed rookie Trayvon Mullen to step into a starting role and he certainly made the most of the opportunity. The Clemson product was an instant upgrade as he managed to give up a 55.9 percent completion rate, two scores, and a 79.7 QB rating when targeted. As the organization transitions to Las Vegas, the 2019 second-round pick projects to be the team’s top cornerback.