In a twist of fate that fans did not expect, the Las Vegas Raiders were actually led by their defense over the past two seasons. Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has done his best to keep the Silver and Black in games no matter how pitiful the offensive effort was that day.
However, when John Spytek and Pete Carroll entered the fold this offseason, they completely overhauled that side of the ball. Gone were both starting linebackers and four of the five starters in the secondary from Week 1 of last season.
Carroll is known to be a cornerback guru, and he has seemingly taken on the task of developing a handful of young players at the position who have not yet proven themselves at the NFL level. The team does not have a single player in the room who has played more than 45 career NFL games.
Raiders reportedly interested in former Bengals CB
This lack of experience has worried Raider Nation throughout the offseason, and plenty of fans did not want to let go of Nate Hobbs or Jack Jones in the first place. The fan base has clamored for a veteran cornerback, and the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Vincent Bonsignore recently weighed in on two potential options.
"[Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen] Ramsey is not on the Raiders’ radar," Bonsignore wrote. "[Free agent Mike] Hilton could be someone they look at."
Ramsey has obviously been the more popular name this offseason, but he is seemingly out of the picture. This may actually work out better for the Raiders, as Hilton is a far cheaper option that fits way better in Las Vegas' defense.
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What the Raiders have an abundance of is wide corners with long arms and big frames, but they do not have a savant in the slot like they did with Hobbs and Amik Robertson over the last few years. According to Pro Football Focus, Hilton played 617 snaps in the slot for the Bengals in 2025.
Hilton also recorded an overall grade of 75.9, which ranked 23rd among 222 qualifying players at the position. Right now, the Raiders only have Darnay Holmes, Kyu Blu Kelly and undrafted free agent Mello Dotson competing for a starting role in the slot, and Hilton is an upgrade over all of them.
His market value earlier this offseason was $12.3 million, according to Spotrac, but he will likely sign for far cheaper at this juncture. The Raiders have both the need and the salary cap space to pull this move off, so Spytek needs to act fast, or else another team will undoubtedly scoop him up.