The Las Vegas Raiders may make some big changes at the trade deadline and here are 3 defensive backs that make sense in Silver and Black.
With the 2022 trade deadline upon us, the Las Vegas Raiders could be in the market to upgrade their defense. Here, we look at three CBs that could help them immediately.
Raiders should target these 3 cornerbacks at the trade deadline
Cleveland Browns – CB Greedy Williams
The Raiders need secondary help and there is a young potential stud in the AFC North that is not getting much attention due to a combination of injuries and players ahead of him on the depth chart outperforming him. Williams has been in and out of the lineup for the Browns during his time there and has even missed an entire season due to injury but the talent is there.
Williams is a solid athlete that played well for the Browns in 2021and allowed a completion percentage of only 55.2 and a passer rating of 74.0. He has not played much this year due to injury but there is still plenty of time left in the season if he finds himself in the right situation.
With Williams in the final year of his contract the Browns may look to recoup some of the draft capital they spent on Deshaun Watson by moving him and the Raiders could be a good fit for obvious reasons. Williams was a second-round pick in 2019 and has good size and length for a cornerback at 6-2, 185lbs. There may be a bit of a ramp up period for Williams before he can start for the Raiders but a day 3 pick could be a bargain.
Raiders should target these 3 cornerbacks at the trade deadline
Buccaneers CB Sean Murphy-Bunting
When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the Super Bowl in 2021, their defense was a big part of the recipe and particularly the play of their defensive backs. Sean Murphy-Bunting was one of the better players in that secondary and he had his best season of his short career.
Murphy-Bunting has struggled to stay healthy since that season as he has been dealing with quad issues but many believe that he is close to 100% and ready to contribute. The young CB has plenty of experience as a starter in the NFL and is making just $1.41 million for the rest of this season so he is available and cheap for any team that wants him.
Tampa may be looking for a day 3 pick for this young player rather than simply losing him at the end of this season and they have been using him less and less as the season has gone on. The Raiders could use the rest of the season to evaluate Murphy-Bunting and at just 25 he could also be a long term answer for this team if he plays well down the stretch run.
Raiders should target these 3 cornerbacks at the trade deadline
Seahawks CB Sidney Jones
Veteran corners are tough to find, and Jones has plenty of experience. He’s not expensive ($1.277 million for the rest of this season) and could fill a quick need for a CB-needy team. Seattle has received some calls of inquiry here.
Just like Sean Murphy-Bunting, Sidney Jones is a young and cheap option for the Raiders who has apparently been deemed surplus to requirements on his current team. The Seattle Seahawks drafted a couple young DBs in Tariq Woolen and Coby Bryant and Jones has only played 21% of the team’s defensive snaps this season.
Jones has plenty of starting experience with 25 starts since 2017 and he has shown an ability to make plays in the secondary with 4 career picks and 29 passes defended in 50 games. The 26-year-old DB is also due just under $1.5 million for the rest of the season so the Raiders could definitely afford him and bring in other players to try and salvage this season as well.
The Raiders and GM Dave Ziegler could also use the rest of the season to evaluate Jones and determine if he could be another long term answer as well. Anthony Averett has been a mediocre addition so far and despite Rock Ya-Sin’s solid play, the Raiders still have holes all over the secondary and are particularly weak at CB. They could make a low-cost move for Sidney Jones to try to shore up this leaky position group and improve this defense.