The Las Vegas Raiders are still a rebuilding team and will experience some struggles in the 2026 NFL season. However, individual players continue to stand out, including safetyJeremy Chinn. Even as he languishes on a lousy team, Chinn is starting to get more hype around the NFL as an impactful player.
NFL.com posted a list of the most under-appreciated players for every AFC team, and Chinn stood out as the nominee for Las Vegas. Given what an important part of the defense Chinn became last year and projects to be now that Pete Carroll and his staff have been kicked out of town,
Chinn, who graded out as the 38th-best safety in the league last year by Pro Football Focus, despite not playing in a defense with many other playmakers that opposing quarterbacks needed to worry about, is still fine-tuning his game.
Another year of consistent improvement could be what he needs to become the same difference-maker this secondary has lacked for years.
NFL hypes Las Vegas Raiders safety Jeremy Chinn as underrated player
Chinn's stock in the NFL has varied wildly, as he went from a Defensive Rookie of the Year runner-up with the Carolina Panthers to someone who was all but discarded when he failed to take the leap with the Washington Commanders. Las Vegas remains committed to making Chinn work.
He got lucky in that the NFL's schematic meta seems to be shifting towards players like him. Players like Nick Emmanwori and Kyle Hamilton, bigger safeties who can play the run and act as a linebacker in lighter formations, are en vogue right now. Chinn can have that sort of impact in Las Vegas.
Defensive coordinator Rob Leonard will need to come in with a very specific plan for how Chinn will be used, as his past experiences have shown that using him as a traditional linebacker or safety without taking advantage of his versatility is a one-way ticket to an underperforming defense.
The Raiders likely kept him around with the thought of making him a chess piece.
With Maxx Crosby not traded, Quay Walker, Nakobe Dean and Kwity Paye arriving in free agency, and Treydan Stukes coming to Vegas via the NFL Draft, the Raiders have the talent needed to be their best defense in years.
Chinn could be the X-factor that takes this unit from good to great if he hits his stride under Leonard.
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