The Las Vegas Raiders' defense was a pleasant surprise over the first two weeks of the season, as they held the Patriots and Chargers to a combined 33 points. That all came crashing down in Week 3 as the defense and special teams combined to allow 41 points to the Commanders, who were without second-year star quarterback Jayden Daniels.
While Marcus Mariota had not made a start since 2022, he had absolutely no problem picking apart the Raiders defense as he threw for 207 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. He completed 71.4% of his pass attempts while adding 40 rushing yards and one touchdown on six carries. The Commanders' rushing attack finished with 201 yards on 32 carries.
It is clear that, as fans initially thought, Las Vegas could use some help on the defensive side of the ball -- particularly in the secondary. The Texans shockingly released C.J. Gardner-Johnson on Tuesday, and the veteran could provide the Raiders with a much-needed playmaker on defense.
Raiders would be wise to target C.J. Gardner-Johnson following release
The Raiders entered the 2025 season with a largely revamped secondary. The unit initially showed promise, however, they have quickly come crashing back down. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that the Texans have parted ways with Gardner-Johnson.
The seventh-year veteran started all three games for the Texans and recorded 15 total tackles, 11 solo tackles, and one quarterback hit. While he did not record an interception, he has shown himself to be a ballhawk in the past, as he has 13 interceptions over the past three seasons and 18 in his career.
Read more: Raiders’ embarrassing Commanders loss sparks harsh truth from Pete Carroll
Gardner-Johnson, who started for the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in 2024, posted a respectable 63.4 PFF grade during his brief stint in Houston. While Jeremy Chinn has been solid in his first year with the Raiders, posting a 69.7 PFF grade, Isaiah Pola-Mao has been awful following a strong Week 1 performance, which saw him record an interception.
The fourth-year safety has posted a 29.9 PFF grade, which ranks 122nd out of 123 safeties. He has been equally bad against the run and the pass, ranking 104th and 115th, respectively. While he has Las Vegas' lone interception on the season, Patrick Graham's unit desperately needs an upgrade at the position.
There have been reports that Gardner-Johnson may not be the best guy in the locker room. As bad as Pola-Mao has been, however, this may be a situation where the pros outweigh the cons and the Raiders need to gamble on a talent upgrade while trusting that their veteran leaders can keep him in check throughout the season.