The Las Vegas Raiders signaled at the trade deadline that they are beginning to look toward the future. The focus of the remaining games, then, should shift toward prioritizing the development of their young players and identifying who will be a key part of that future.
Las Vegas has done a terrible job of that through the first eight games of the 2025 NFL season, as Ashton Jeanty is the only rookie who has had a consistent role or even played half of the offensive or defensive snaps. This is inexcusable, as the Raiders brought in 11 players from this year's draft.
While fans are hoping to see more of the rookie class over the final nine games, there is another young player who just became available that Las Vegas should target. Second-year cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr. just hit the open market, and the Raiders should not hesitate to make him an offer.
Raiders should target recently released CB Beanie Bishop Jr.
Bishop Jr. had a great rookie season for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024. Despite playing just 50.2% of the defensive snaps, he recorded 45 total tackles, two tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, one quarterback hit, four interceptions, one fumble recovery, and seven passes defended.
Following the offseason additions of Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay, and Brandin Echols -- to go along with returner Joey Porter Jr. -- Bishop Jr. became an afterthought for the coaching staff. He did not make the final roster and was signed to the practice squad.
He was shockingly waived from the practice squad on Monday in a move that many believe will pave the way for Marquez Valdes-Scantling to join the team. This is widely seen as an unwise move for Pittsburgh, so Las Vegas may need to act quickly.
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While he was never called up to the Steelers' active roster in 2025, he would make plenty of sense for the Raiders as a post-trade deadline addition. A deeper dive into his rookie season shows that he was great in pass coverage, allowing just a 57.1 completion percentage and a 59.5 passer rating when targeted.
Las Vegas needs all of the young talent it can acquire, particularly in the secondary. Darien Porter finally took over for Kyu Blu Kelly -- who did not play any defensive snaps -- opposite Eric Stokes in Week 9 on the outside. But they still need a viable answer in the slot.
The Raiders made slot cornerback Darnay Holmes a healthy scratch in Week 9, giving Greedy Vance Jr. his first opportunity to come up from the practice squad. But Bishop Jr. had made his money in the slot, and he might be better than either one of these players.
Adding Bishop Jr. to the fold would give Las Vegas yet another young player to compete for playing time in the secondary. The second-year cornerback has already proven that he can have an impact, and the Raiders would be wise to evaluate him for the remainder of the season to figure out if he can factor into their long-term equation.