Before the 2026 NFL season began, the hope was that the Las Vegas Raiders would rotate at the cornerback position, given how much young talent they have and how much development was needed within that group. But in Week 1, it was all Darien Porter until he went down with an injury.
That injury, of course, opened the door for rookies like Zeke Masses and Jermod McCoy to play a big role in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Chargers. And while Masses stole the show with his two interceptions of Justin Herbert, McCoy had a quieter and, honestly, downright rough debut.
After not playing in Week 1 on defense or special teams, he played 18 and three snaps, respectively, on Sunday. It may not have gone smoothly for the young cornerback, but McCoy needed these reps and that NFL game experience to grow. Learning from mistakes may have been the best thing for him.
So, don't give up on him so early, even if he wasn't as impressive as his first-year counterpart.
Jermod McCoy's rough Raiders debut vs. Chargers: The bad
Los Angeles ran the ball in McCoy's direction a lot, which was a product of him lining up opposite Maxx Crosby. As the game wore on, he had a hard time shedding blocks, and McCoy got taken for a ride on two straight runs in the red zone, getting blocked out of the play twice for two 10+ yard gains.
That allowed the Chargers to easily punch the ball in from the 1-yard line. Later in the game, McCoy also blitzed from the boundary and really didn't get anywhere, as he got gummed up by left tackle Rashawn Slater. It didn't look like he had much of a plan, and his attempt was thwarted rather quickly.
In coverage, McCoy largely struggled as well, as he got caught in no man's land on one play. He did not carry his receiver up the seam or cover the flat, which left two open receivers for Herbert to choose from, and he gave up a big gain. Unfortunately, that wasn't his only mistake.
Later in the game, he carried his receiver too far up the field in a non-man coverage situation, and he left the flat wide open once again for a sizeable gain. Then, he stayed with a hook route, even though Tommy Eichenberg was there to cover it, and gave up another chunk of yardage in the flat.
Obviously, McCoy hasn't played a ton of football in the last two years, especially not at this level, so every rep, good or bad, should be banked and learned from. Getting thrown into the fire is just what he needs, and that is precisely what happened on Sunday. And he'll be better for it.
Luckily, it wasn't all bad for the rookie.
Jermod McCoy's rough Raiders debut vs. Chargers: The good
Starting with special teams, McCoy had two very good reps: one as a gunner and another as a vise, which is the player who covers the gunner. He only played one snap at each spot, but McCoy seems able to contribute there if his cornerback reps dwindle with Masses' emergence or Porter's return.
Although he did have his share of poor snaps in run defense, at least early in the game, McCoy did shed a few blocks and make a handful of tackles. He finished with just two in the game, one of which was solo, but he's clearly capable of helping out as a run defender.
And while his elite coverage skills weren't necessarily put on display the whole matchup, he had a lot of solid reps where he didn't give up a completion, and he had a very good play where he followed Tre' Harris in motion and stuck with him step-for-step on a flag route. That was a flash of peak McCoy.
He swarmed to the ball and didn't give up on plays, which speaks to his character and mindset. He needed to be baptized a bit to grow, and that is precisely what happened on Sunday. It'll be exciting to see McCoy's growth continue, knowing it started with this rough but somewhat mixed bag of a game.
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