Las Vegas Raiders add secondary depth with Epps, Facyson

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Carson Wentz (2) looks for an open receiver as Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Brandon Facyson (35) closes in Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, during a game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Carson Wentz (2) looks for an open receiver as Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Brandon Facyson (35) closes in Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, during a game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. /
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The Las Vegas Raiders were planning on bolstering the secondary this offseason, which was apparent on Day 1 of legal tampering.

We are officially in legal tampering season, and for the Las Vegas Raiders, the hope was that Day 1 would bring some big-name signings, especially on defense. However, there have been very few fireworks in terms of defensive talent heading to the desert, as the team has brought in just two defensive backs.

Early in the day, the team brought in Marcus Epps, agreeing on a two-year deal with a strong safety that was a key part of the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl run last season. Then, the team brought back a familiar face in Brandon Facyson, who parlayed a solid season with the Raiders in 2021 into a one-year deal with Indianapolis in 2022.

Both men will be expected to play a big role within a Raiders secondary that is getting a facelift this offseason. Guys like Trevon Moehrig and Nate Hobbs will return, but based on what we saw from the unit as a whole last season, players like Epps and Facyson will be welcome additions in 2023.

Raiders defense still has a lot of work left to do

These are not the kind of big swings that Raider Nation was hoping the team would make on the defensive side of the ball. After bringing in a questionable answer at quarterback to kick off free agency in Jimmy Garoppolo, many felt that Las Vegas would spend big on the defense, but that has not been the case just yet.

As always, you can follow all the deals along with our Las Vegas Raiders 2023 free-agent tracker. Within that piece, we will have all the comings and goings, as well as dishing out some grades for the bigger deals the Silver and Black make this free agency season.