We'll start with the bad news first: the Raiders' secondary isn't great. In fact, if there's one single part of the Raiders roster that ends up being what holds them back this season, it's probably going be that. The good news? They hired a coach who's quite literally known for developing some of the league's best corners and safeties. What a coincidence!
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Carroll's certainly got his work cut out for him in his first season running the Raiders, but there's something of a silver lining – Vegas' secondary is young, and there is upside (potentially) there. It's why Bleacher Report singled that unit out in their list of Most Important Position Battles To Watch through OTAs, and why they think there are some names on the roster who could surprise people come training camp.
Rookie CB Darien Porter could be a Day 1 starter for the Raiders
"It feels like the cornerback position has been a work in progress for years for the Raiders. They've taken a few different approaches and it's still hard to feel confident going into the season. Tashan Reed of The Athletic reported free-agent addition Eric Stokes and rookie Darien Porter have been taking the first-string snaps in OTAs. Reed also noted Jakorian Bennett will compete for a starting role when he gets back from the shoulder injury that ended his season. The Raiders are making a series of high-stakes bets at the position. Stokes has dealt with serious injuries in his career, Bennett has been up-and-down since he was drafted, and Darien Porter has just one season of college production. They need two of the three to become legitimate starters."
While they're not wrong about Porter's lack of experience, he was, ultimately, a third round pick – teams are still looking to find Day 1 starters in the third round, so it probably wouldn't be all that surprising to see him rise up the depth charts almost immediately. He also has the added bonus of being one of Carroll's "guys," while Bennett – who has, admittedly, improved in each of his two seasons in the NFL – won't have that luxury.
Still, if you squint hard enough, you can see a world where Bennett and Porter both flourish under Carroll and we'll all have a good laugh about how nervous everyone was this summer. And in even more good/maybe-also-bad news, they'll certainly get a chance to prove themselves against the best QBs in football.