Las Vegas Raiders: The signing of Marcus Peters is a little complex

The former first-round pick is back in the AFC West with the Las Vegas Raiders. Marcus Peters instantly becomes the Silver and Black's number one cornerback. Even though he still has a lot to prove, his prime days seem to be behind him.

The inevitable signing of Marcus Peters is now a reality. He joins an already packed cornerback room that he can easily climb to the top of. Peters signed a friendly deal and for a million and a half dollars cheaper then Rock Ya-Sin did in Baltimore. That's a can't lose situation for a club who is in desperate need of consistent defenders.

Fans are allowed to be skeptical about Peters because they think that he may not have it anymore. The fact of the matter is that he is a 30 year old corner who will see Stefon Diggs, Justin Jefferson and the AFC West twice a year if he can stay healthy in 2023. The schedule is not exactly a murderer's row of receivers, but it won't be a task that Peters takes lightly either.

The signing will make some players expandable come cut time. The Raiders are still debatably last in talent within the division at that spot. The Broncos have a rising star in Patrick Surtain II. The Chargers have a quality duo and so do the defending champs. That makes the job of developing and teaching young guns like Nate Hobbs and Jakorian Bennett so critical to the future of the group.

Raiders may have added a legit No. 2 cornerback in Peters

Most recently he was the number two option in Baltimore behind Marlon Humphrey. That poses the concern about whether or not he can be the primary corner again in this league, especially with how pass heavy offenses are in today's preceding's. They have other bodies to work with, but none of them have the body of work that Peters does since he stepped foot into the NFL.

The Raiders ranked last in interceptions over the last two seasons. Peters should improve that, but not by very much though. The pass rush will be the key to how well the corners and defense play as a whole. Peters, alone averages four interceptions a year since entering the league. Nobody had more than two in 2022 and "the goat", Charles Woodson had the most over the previous decade for Oakland/Las Vegas.

At this late in the offseason Peters is a neat signing, but not one that will drastically change the fortunes of the defense. Personally he has to show to all the doubters that he still can cover and hasn't lost a step. He's landed in a tough situation in which a lot of pressure will be on him to succeed and bring Patrick Graham's troops back to competence.