With the Las Vegas Raiders releasing Damarious Randall on Friday, is a move back to safety imminent for Lamarcus Joyner?
The Raiders made a very prominent and shocking cut Friday morning, getting rid of a veteran they brought in to help within a young secondary. Damarious Randall was signed this offseason with the expectation he would start at free safety, but now he is looking for work.
With that being said, who will take over the now vacant free safety spot?
Lamarcus Joyner over his career has been a very versatile player, and despite this being the case, he is much better at his natural position of free safety. When the Raiders signed Joyner to a four-year, $42 million contract, the expectation from the team and head coach Jon Gruden was that Joyner would play slot corner.
This so far has turned out to be a failed experiment, maybe it could be the scheme of defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, or maybe the position just does not fit Joyner. One thing is for sure, and that is numbers do not lie.
In fact the 51 receptions Joyner allowed last season was tied for 17th overall in the NFL, and his overall 47.5 grade from PFF is well below what is expected of a player making over ten-million a season.
Is Joyner moving back to safety?
So here we are, with just a little over a week left until the season starts. The free safety position could in fact lie in the hands of last season’s incumbent Erik Harris. Despite Harris being a somewhat solid option, he is not ideal to start, and factors better as a rotational type piece, or special teams player.
The Raiders may go this route, but in terms of experience and talent, the Raiders would be wise to give Joyner the nod here.
Cornerback has been a major point of contention within Raider Nation. One thing is for sure though, the Raiders are looking to get much younger at the position. With Trayvon Mullen having a guaranteed starting spot, it also seems to be that 2020 first-round pick Damon Arnette will be starting alongside him as the CB2.
Las Vegas is planning on playing their young guys, and after both Randall and Prince Amukamara were cut, that certainly appears to be the case. Fourth-round pick Amik Robertson was taken with the expectation he would factor in immediately covering the slot, and with coaches raving over Isaiah Johnson as well, it seems the Raiders are content with what they have at corner.
Joyner played his best football as a safety for the Los Angeles Rams before coming to the Raiders, so moving the 29-year old back there may be the best chance for this team to get his full potential out of him.
There is no telling what Gruden and Guenther plan to do with Joyner, he could still man the slot primarily or he could line up once again at safety, or maybe even a mixture of both. All that we know is there is a hole at safety now, and the Raiders best bet would be to move Joyner back to free safety, which is not only his best position, but would also add some much needed veteran savvy to a very young secondary core.