The Las Vegas Raiders have undergone constant change this offseason under the new leadership of head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek. These two are now facing the puzzle of creating a 53-man roster out of all they have built so far in Las Vegas.
While the team is much improved from last season, when they won just four games under the guidance of Antonio Pierce and Tom Telesco, they still have several holes to fill, most notably at cornerback.
As everyone begins taking their stab at predicting the final roster in Las Vegas, reporters seem to be forgetting about a promising up-and-coming cornerback who joined the Raiders as an undrafted free agent this offseason and deserves a spot on the team.
Raiders reporters continue to leave Greedy Vance Jr. off 53-man roster
On Sunday, ESPN's Ryan McFadden released his projections for the Raiders' roster, and on Monday morning, The Athletic's Tashan Reed did the same. Both listed the exact same cornerback room in their prediction.
The room was comprised of Eric Stokes, Kyu Blu Kelly, Darien Porter, Decamerion Richardson and Darnay Holmes. While the first four are seemingly locks, Las Vegas would be better off keeping Greedy Vance Jr. instead of Holmes.
McFadden and Reed covered the Raiders like a glove this offseason. Being in the building, they certainly have a better grip on not only the day-to-day performances of these two but also how the coaching staff and front office view them.
However, what Raider Nation saw in the preseason tells a different story. While their Pro Football Focus grades certainly agree with McFadden and Reed, these numbers are not the end-all, be-all. Vance is a lot younger and flashed a lot more than Holmes did in three games.
RELATED: Raiders have no-brainer trade target to pursue after Aidan O'Connell injury
All told, Vance recorded four tackles this preseason, including two for a loss, 1.0 sack and a quarterback hit while playing just three more snaps than Holmes, who recorded one tackle and one quarterback hit.
Vance did give up more in coverage, as he allowed a quarterback rating of 82.5 when targeted, relinquishing four catches on five targets for 19 yards. Holmes was targeted twice and gave up no completions.
While Vance may have been technically worse, those coverage numbers are still not bad. Given how often the team is going to roll a safety into the slot in nickel packages, there is an argument to be made that the team should keep the younger, cheaper player with more upside.
Holmes is still worthy of a roster spot, so perhaps the team keeps six cornerbacks. But given how much Carroll and Co. love safeties, it is unlikely that both of these players will land on the 53-man roster. Vance should get the edge based on production, but fans will find out on Tuesday.