The Las Vegas Raiders needed to make changes after a brutal four-win campaign in 2024. While the defense was certainly their strong suit, new general manager John Spytek still got rid of half the group's starters from Week 1 of last season.
Fortunately, the defensive line remained intact, but both the linebacker and cornerback room have been overhauled completely. The team's linebacker issue was just solved with the signing of Germaine Pratt, but questions still remain for the cornerback position.
Head coach Pete Carroll loves a tall, long and physical wide corner, but he has not really addressed the slot corner position after letting Nate Hobbs walk in free agency. Luckily, the team has an obvious phone call to make after minicamp to mitigate a potential disaster in the slot.
Raiders should sign slot cornerback Mike Hilton
Free agent slot cornerback Mike Hilton is still available, and the Raiders should jump at the opportunity to sign him. Hilton is already 31 years old, but his projected $12.3 million deal is well within range for Las Vegas, given its current cap situation.
Hilton played in 16 games for the Cincinnati Bengals last season and recorded 73 tackles, including 12 for a loss, as well as five passes defended and an interception. He earned a Pro Football Focus grade of 75.9, which was 24th among 222 qualifying cornerbacks in 2024.
When he was at Ole Miss, Hilton lined up all over the field, playing both safety and cornerback, and he served as a rover as well. In the NFL, he has settled in at slot corner, with 617 of his 750 total snaps coming in the slot last season for Cincinnati.
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He should already have a good rapport with Pratt as well, considering the two played together for four seasons with the Bengals. Hilton would not likely have a hard time beating out Darnay Holmes or Mello Dotson to be the team's immediate starter at the position either.
Las Vegas has reportedly been employing safeties like Lonnie Johnson Jr. and Thomas Harper in the slot during the offseason program, which should indicate how the defensive staff feels about their current slot corner situation.
It may be that the new regime wants to employ multiple safeties, or they feel that the slot corner position will not be as important with the current defensive scheme. However, if they are in the market for a top-tier player at the position, Mike Hilton should be on speed dial.