Raiders should look to add this player to the roster ASAP

The Las Vegas Raiders kick off their 2024 NFL season on Sunday, taking a 'road' trip to Los Angeles to battle it out with one of their division rivals, the Chargers. This will be Antonio Pierce's first game with the interim head coach title stripped away, as the franchise made a commitment to him this offseason.

Since taking over as head coach, Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco have done a nice job building up the roster. The hope is that the Raiders can finally get to the point where they are in the playoff mix every season, and their play down the stretch of the 2023 NFL season under Pierce should give Raider Nation some hope.

On offense, it will all depend on veteran quarterback Gardner Minshew II, who beat out Aidan O'Connell for the starting quarterback job this summer. Minshew has played a lot of games in the NFL, and has the kind of swagger that will excite Raiders fans, but all that will change in a hurry if he does not produce wins.

On defense, the front seven has the talent to be one of the best in football, led by perennial superstar Maxx Crosby. The problem is, as has been the case for some time now, the secondary has too many question marks, the biggest being Jakorian Bennett.

If the Raiders were wise, they would take a long look at one veteran cornerback who is still looking for a home for the 2024 NFL season.

Raiders should look to add Xavien Howard ASAP

Xavien Howard started 13 games for the Miami Dolphins last season, and extended his run of at least one interception in the last seven years. In total, Howard has 29 interceptions for his career, including ten during a 2020 campaign that saw him finish third in the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year voting.

While the 2023 NFL season saw his string of three straight Pro Bowls come to an end, he is a veteran cornerback who could help this Raiders secondary immediately. Bennett has yet to prove he can be a consistent player at the NFL level, but with Howard, you know you are going to get someone who has played at a very high level for a very long time.

It was only two years ago that Howard was named to the NFL's Top-100 team, and at 31 years old, should have some more production left in the tank.

Las Vegas has a strong safety tandem in Marcus Epps and Trevon Moehrig, and the combination of Jack Jones and Nate Hobbs at cornerback is solid as well. However, if Bennett struggles this season, it could cost the Raiders in a big way, which is why the addition of Howard would provide an excellent security blanket for the Silver and Black at the position group.