After a win in Week 1, the Las Vegas Raiders have now lost six of their last seven games during the 2025 NFL season. Changes were desperately needed after the team's Week 8 bye, as they were on the heels of a brutal 31-0 beatdown against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Of course, just seven games into this new era for the Raiders, major overhauls like the firing of a head coach or coordinator were long shots. A change at quarterback was not in the cards either, as Geno Smith will likely be under center as long as Pete Carroll is in Las Vegas.
But a general youth movement has been warranted for some time now, and Raider Nation had been clamoring for one change, in particular, on the defensive side of the ball. Thankfully, Carroll granted the fan base their wish in Week 9 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Raiders finally started Darien Porter over Kyu Blu Kelly at CB in Week 9
Rookie cornerback Darien Porter, who played sparingly the first seven games of the season, finally got the chance to start opposite Eric Stokes last Sunday. Not only had he shown promise in limited opportunities, but starting in his place was Kyu Blu Kelly, who had been among the NFL's worst.
Kelly had played practically every defensive snap for the Raiders this season, despite his struggles, as Carroll and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham were reluctant to rotate Porter in. However, they made a complete 180 against the Jaguars, playing the rookie for all 80 defensive snaps.
He got picked on a fair amount to begin the game, as Jacksonville studs like Brian Thomas Jr. and Dyami Brown got the better of him on a handful of reps. But Porter really settled in as the game went on, and in addition to his coverage improving, he made a handful of great hits and tackles.
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Carroll spoke to the media on Monday afternoon following the 30-29 overtime loss. When asked about how Porter played, the veteran coach gave an honest review, but layered in some positivity as well, despite the Raiders' overall defensive struggles.
"He did all right," Carroll said. "You saw Darien got probably tested more than anybody. He had a couple balls thrown on him, but he played well, all in all. (He) tackled pretty well, had a couple good hits. Everybody kind of shared the misses yesterday."
Prior to Sunday's game, Porter had not given up a catch in 54 coverage snaps. He relinquished 5 catches for 65 yards against Trevor Lawrence and Co., but this was just his second game in a starting role. The first came in Week 5, when starter Eric Stokes was sidelined due to an injury.
Porter has all the traits to be a shutdown NFL cornerback, and Raider Nation can take a sigh of relief that he is finally getting a chance to show it. There is nothing quite like trial by fire, especially in what most consider to be an already-lost season for the Silver and Black.
Fans expect Porter to continue starting on Thursday Night Football in Week 10 against the Denver Broncos, which will be no easy task either. However, if they keep throwing Porter into the deep end, it won't be long until he is calmly swimming, even against the best NFL offenses.