The Las Vegas Raiders made several massive upgrades to the defense this offseason, as they improved on all three levels. The day before the legal tampering period began, they swung a trade for 2023 All-Pro nickelback Taron Johnson.
They were very active in free agency, re-signing cornerback Eric Stokes and pass rusher Malcolm Koonce, while adding linebackers Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker, along with pass rusher Kwity Paye. The front office appeared to be building the defense that they never surrounded Maxx Crosby with, however, they were able to retain the five-time Pro Bowler after a deal to send him to the Baltimore Ravens fell through.
One area that was not addressed was the safety room, as Jeremy Chinn, Isaiah Pola-Mao, and Tristin McCollum are the only safeties on the roster. While the unit is in clear need of an upgrade, general manager John Spytek's latest comments suggest that the hole will be addressed in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders GM John Spytek hints at a possible safety addition
The Raiders have one safety spot locked down, as Chinn proved to be one of Spytek's best additions last offseason. It is clear, however, that Pola-Mao cannot continue to serve as the deep safety, as he did in 2025.
While we wrote about several potential veterans to replace him in that role, Las Vegas has yet to address the room in free agency. Spytek's comments during his presser on Tuesday suggest that the Raiders will use the 2026 NFL Draft to find a safety to pair with Chinn.
"We have three safeties on the roster right now, too, so it's just a math equation right there. We need a few more. I think it's a good safety class, and from top to bottom, I mean, there's some guys that you would expect probably to go in (Round) 1, and all the way through to Day 3, there's some quality players there. And, I think, historically, if you look for the right things and you find the right guy, that's a spot where you can find quality players maybe later in the draft. Maybe there's some teams that don't value them as much. But, overall, obviously, it's something we've got to attack and I'm glad the class looks like the way it does."
The safety room may be the biggest area of need on the roster, along with the wide receiver room. While Las Vegas has virtually no chance of landing a player like Caleb Downs, names such as Dillon Thieneman, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Jalon Kilgore, Bud Clark, and Zakee Wheatley could be targeted by the front office.
Bringing in one of those names to pair with Chinn would instantly improve the Raiders' secondary, as Pola-Mao has proven that he is better suited on special teams and in subpackages on defense. Las Vegas could also add to the cornerback room, which currently has Stokes, Johnson, and Darien Porter slated to begin the season as starters.
The latter, who has just four years of experience at defensive back, drew praise from Spytek for how he finished last season and has attacked this offseason. While the general manager did not rule out bringing in competition at cornerback, addressing the safety room appears to be a far bigger priority, as it should be.
Ultimately, it would not be a surprise to see Spytek double dip at safety, which would allow the Raiders' defense to utilize three safety sets. As things stand, fans should feel confident that the defense's biggest hole will be addressed in the 2026 NFL Draft.
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