The trade deadline for the 2025 NFL season is rapidly approaching, and the Las Vegas Raiders should be looking to offload most of their valuable pieces and compile as many draft picks for the coming years as possible.
After all, they haven't accrued any future picks, and in fact, they traded away their fifth-rounder in 2026 for Kenny Pickett. All eyes should be on players like Jakobi Meyers, Raheem Mostert, Malcolm Koonce and even Jackson Powers-Johnson to see what kind of trade return the Raiders could get.
But that doesn't mean Las Vegas can't still add talent at the deadline. The Raiders desperately need help at practically every position on the field, and if a young player with upside who fits Pete Carroll and John Spytek's mold could be available, then, by all means, they should kick the tires.
Raiders could trade a 7th rounder to Rams for CB Emmanuel Forbes
We've already highlighted players like Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson and Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. as potential trade candidates for the Raiders. But Ramblin Fan's Bret Stuter brought up another possible player that may be of interest to Las Vegas.
"While he has been struggling mightily in the secondary, cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. did show a bit of improvement in Week 6," Stuter wrote last week. "Forbes may be out of the woods for now. But the team traded away Tre'Davious White last season when he faced similar struggles, all but suggesting the former 16th-overall pick is officially on trade watch."
Forbes has certainly endured a rocky start to his NFL career, but he is a former first-rounder who is still on his rookie contract. Oh, and he ran a 4.35-second 40-yard dash and has 32 and 1/4-inch arms, so he is practically Carroll's dream cornerback.
Plus, he played alongside current Raiders cornerback Decamerion Richardson at Mississippi State for several seasons, and the two led one of the SEC's best defenses as a starting tandem. Forbes parlayed this into being a first-round selection in 2023 by the Washington Commanders.
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He had trouble immediately, as Forbes relinquished 598 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie, giving up a passer rating of 103.0 when targeted. Forbes also struggled with missed tackles, as he had nine in his first NFL season, with a tackle percentage of just 81.2.
But he rebounded in his second year, giving up just 75 yards and zero touchdowns in eight games for a passer rating of 64.1 before being waived and subsequently claimed by the Los Angeles Rams. After a rough start to the 2025 season, he's given up just 21 receiving yards in the last three games.
With him rebounding a bit recently and showing some promise, and Los Angeles a bit short on draft picks next year, the Raiders could easily pry Forbes away from the Rams for a seventh-round pick. He might not be an instant solution, but fans know Carroll would be tempted to take on the project.
Obviously, opposite Eric Stokes, fans want to see more of Darien Porter instead of Kyu Blu Kelly. But given Kelly's struggles and Decamerion Richardson playing zero defensive snaps this season, a flyer on a young cornerback with potentially two more years on his rookie deal is incredibly enticing.