The Las Vegas Raiders have made a bunch of changes and tweaks to the roster and coaching staff this offseason. While Fernando Mendoza headlined the 2026 NFL Draft class, the Raiders also took a big swing on cornerback Jermod McCoy, who could be a future star in his own right.
He was limited during OTAs and mandatory minicamp as he continued to work through a knee injury and all of the big-picture decisions that came with that, but it has been said that McCoy will be ready to take the field when training camp starts.
"We're asking him to spend a lot of time with [Guerrero] just to get him ready, so that when we put him out there come training camp, we have 100% confidence in him. [We are] really excited about seeing him practice come training camp." Klint Kubiak said.
Las Vegas Raiders still aren't ruling out big rookie year for Jermod McCoy
With McCoy's arrow seemingly pointing up there, ESPN's Ryan McFadden also reported that McCoy still has a chance to earn a spot in the starting lineup. Even after he missed most of the offseason program, McCoy is so supremely talented that the Raiders are keeping the welcome mat out for him.
"The door is wide open for McCoy to beat out Porter for the starting job." McFadden wrote.
Of course, we'll have to see him at full speed and in pads first, and seeing how his knee responds to being back on the gridiron will be critical. But with a strong summer, the pathway is open for McCoy to overtake Porter, a second-year player, and fifth-rounder Zeke Masses, who has impressed.
Raider Nation knows just how talented McCoy is, though, as he was a consensus first-round pick before falling all the way to the fourth round, where the Raiders took him with the 101st pick. There were legit concerns about his knee after he missed the 2025 season with a torn ACL.
And while he didn't participate in the NFL Combine, McCoy took the field at Tennessee's Pro Day. There, he ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash and recorded a 38-inch vertical jump with a 10-foot-7 broad jump, giving Las Vegas and other NFL teams less reason to worry.
The athletic traits are there, and when he was last on the field back in 2024, McCoy was dominant. In 14 games, he had 44 total tackles, four interceptions, and nine pass breakups. McCoy allowed a 41.9 completion percentage and gave up less than 10 yards per reception over nine games.
He has work to do, but one can see why the Raiders took the swing.
A battle would likely be between McCoy and Porter. As a rookie in 2025, Porter finished with 42 total tackles and three pass breakups across 17 games. McFadden pointed out that as the closest defender, Porter gave up 21 receptions for 285 yards and a 63.6 completion percentage.
That wasn't enough to guarantee a spot in the starting lineup, which opens the door for McCoy. Hopefully, he's a full go when camp kicks off and gets a chance to showcase his skill set. That isn't something that Las Vegas has seen yet.
Regardless, the team seems high on McCoy, creating an interesting storyline to watch this summer.
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