Raiders 'must consider' signing former Defensive Player of the Year: Analyst

The Las Vegas Raiders have cooled on the idea of adding another cornerback this offseason, but they have yet to have serious practices. Once the pads are on in training camp, the team will have a much better idea of what their strengths and weaknesses are.

Right now, Las Vegas is content with some combination of Jack Jones, Jakorian Bennett, Nate Hobbs and Brandon Facyson. However, none of them have proven that they can consistently be a No. 1 cornerback for a whole season.

Luckily, there are still some strong options available in free agency. Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report recently went through some free agents the Raiders "must consider" and listed cornerback Stephon Gilmore at the top of the list.

"While the Raiders aren't widely viewed as title contenders, they could offer Gilmore the opportunity to play with an ascending defense and a team that could push for the postseason," Knox wrote. "Las Vegas also has the cap space to make a competitive contract offer.

"Gilmore has an estimated market value of $9 million annually, and the Raiders could afford to go a little higher than that. A two-year, $18 million deal with added incentives would likely get Gilmore's attention."

Gilmore was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 but is 33 now. He most recently played for the Dallas Cowboys where he started all 17 games for the franchise. Though he's getting older, he proved last season that he's still durable.

Gilmore isn't the player he once was but can still be a serviceable starting cornerback. Considering how late into free agency it is, that's likely the best the Raiders can get. Gilmore would provide some veteran leadership to a young secondary. The Raiders seem to prefer to build around the players they already have but they can't ignore their options if it's clear they need an upgrade.