The Las Vegas Raiders are trying to reshape their defense in the image that head coach Pete Carroll wants. That also means there have been open competitions, and after the training camp dust has settled at cornerback, there is only one locked-in starter, followed by question marks.
On Thursday, Carroll shared how the cornerback situation will look in Week 1 against the New England Patriots. He said that the team will still need to figure out the pecking order, and they'll rotate a number of guys in opposite Eric Stokes.
This is less than ideal, but it's not all that surprising. Multiple guys will now have the opportunity to assert themselves as the other starting outside corner in due time. Plus, at this point in the offseason, it's not like there are many options to add someone from outside the organization.
Raiders should make a call to find out if Cowboys will have Micah Parsons-driven fire sale
On Thursday, the Dallas Cowboys resolved their ongoing situation with edge rusher Micah Parsons by trading him to the Green Bay Packers. The contract Parsons will sign in Green Bay makes him the highest-paid non-quarterback by $6 million per year.
The Cowboys just lost arguably their best player, but may ultimately look smart by not paying Parsons like the Packers did. But in another sense, trading him could leave other players who are entering the final year of their contract wondering what they have to do to earn an extension of their own.
And if Jerry Jones really likes the idea of accumulating draft picks rather than giving big contracts to star players, other teams may be calling to see who else might be available. This could especially be true if the Cowboys get off to a slow start and have a fire sale.
Among Cowboys players who are entering the final year of their contract, two stand out as priorities to be extended. But if Jones drags his feet on those matters, as he always does, there's one in particular that the Raiders should have interest in.
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Due to a foot injury, cornerback DaRon Bland played just seven games last season, leading to a down year for him. But in 2023, he led the league with nine interceptions, including a single-season NFL record five pick-sixes, along with 15 pass breakups
Bland earned a First Team All-Pro nod that season and finished fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting, which many felt he was robbed of. He did allow 13.2 yards per reception in 2023, however, so there is some feast-or-famine to his game.
At 6-feet tall and 197 pounds with 32-inch arms, Bland edges into fitting the physical template Carroll covets in cornerbacks. Being a ballhawk like he is with 27 pass breakups over three seasons, he would be ideal for a Raiders' secondary that needs a big playmaker.
It seems unlikely that the Cowboys will follow up on trading Parsons by trading another player of note. But Bland, or his teammate Trevon Diggs, stands out as someone who will draw interest. With that idea in mind, the Raiders should easily be among the teams to inquire.