The Las Vegas Raiders have struggled tremendously on both sides of the ball during the 2025 NFL season, as evidenced by their 2-12 record. It is going to take a significant rebuild for the Silver and Black to dig themselves out of this hole.
While the defense showed signs of being a strong unit early on in the campaign, they have ultimately failed to put together a strong overall season. The group has allowed 25.9 points per game, ranking 25th in the NFL in scoring defense. That includes six games of 30 or more, and two of over 40.
Fans have longed for the rookie class, including cornerback Darien Porter, to play more. Porter has seen his snap count increase following Kyu Blu Kelly's injury, and he recently drew praise from Eric Stokes for his play. But the compliment makes Raider Nation question the team's defensive scheme.
Eric Stokes' comments on Dairen Porter should raise eyebrows around Raider Nation
With Porter finally becoming a full-time starter, he can be properly and fairly evaluated by both the team and fan base. Stokes, who has been on the opposite side at cornerback all season, suggested that Porter can be great in man coverage.
"I feel like he'd be a man-to-man corner. He likes to get up in your face, and he can run with you, at the end of the day, and it's hard to run by him, so if he can transition, I think he'd be a great man-to-man corner. If you could get him to play man, he's a great person," Stokes said.
Obviously, this is great to hear from Stokes. Porter is making an impression on the team's veterans, which is a good thing, and it is a minor blip of positivity in what has been a dark year for the franchise and fan base.
While Stokes wasn't trying to insinuate anything more with his comments or call out the coaching staff, it should be noted that the Raiders have only used man-to-man coverage 14.6% of the time this season, which is the third-lowest rate in the entire NFL.
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Instead, head coach Pete Carroll has continued to run out a Cover 3 zone on 48% of the Raiders' defensive snaps, which is 7% more than the league's next-highest team. Rather than implement what the Raiders' corners are best at, Carroll has focused on what he had previous success with.
It has also hinted at the fact that the veteran head coach, ultimately, has far more control over the defense than defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, as Las Vegas was in man coverage on 30% of their defensive snaps last season.
Stokes' comments could hint at a disconnect between the plays that are being called and what the defensive players are best at. That certainly wasn't his intention, but it begs the question of why Las Vegas is not calling defenses that maximize the players' abilities.
These comments should, however, provide Raiders fans with some positivity for the future. If Porter truly has the potential to be a great man-to-man cornerback, as his defensive counterpart suggests, then Las Vegas may have found a diamond in the rough in the third round of last year's draft.