The Las Vegas Raiders brought in a new regime of Pete Carroll and John Spytek this summer, and with them, an excellent coaching staff and front office team. Both come from winning backgrounds, and they've used their connections all offseason to build the Raiders' roster.
Carroll's days with the Seahawks brought the team Geno Smith, Jamal Adams and Stone Forsythe, and Spytek's years with the Bucs netted Las Vegas Devin White and Alex Cappa. Spytek also brought several Eagles executives into the Raiders' front office, which spurred a trade for Thomas Booker IV.
Las Vegas could do much worse than pulling players from Seattle, Tampa Bay and Philadelphia, but it seems like every new addition has some kind of prior connection to a key figure in the organization. Thursday's claiming of Eagles safety Tristin McCollum is no different.
Raiders claim former Eagles safety Tristin McCollum
McCollum was claimed on the waiver wire, which was first reported by Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. However, his ties to those in charge of the Raiders do not stop at just a simple crossing of paths in Philadelphia.
In 2022, Spytek and the Bucs' front office took McColllum's twin brother, Zyon, in the fifth round of the NFL Draft. Zyon has turned into a pivotal part of Tampa Bay's secondary, and the hopes are that Tristin can do the same in Las Vegas.
Through his first two seasons in the NFL, Tristin McCollum has not gotten off to as strong a start as his brother. He did play in 14 games last year for the Super Bowl-champion Eagles, albeit primarily in a special teams role, playing just 29% of the defensive snaps.
However, he played in all four playoff games for the Eagles, recording 86 special teams snaps and making three tackles combined in the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl. All told, he recorded 33 tackles and two passes defended during the 2024 campaign.
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Listed at 6-foot-3 but having just 30 and 3/8-inch arms, he does not fit the exact mold of a Carroll defensive back. However, he has incredible speed, as evidenced by his 4.48-second 40-yard dash time, and he has great experience on a winning team.
He struggled in coverage last season after looking great in a small sample size as a rookie. In just 250 defensive snaps, he was targeted 16 times, giving up 12 catches for 201 yards and three touchdowns, allowing an opposing quarterback rating of 156.3.
McCollum also missed seven tackles in 2024, but there are several things that Patrick Graham and Co. will like. He lined up in the box, as a wide corner, a slot corner and a free safety last season, which is the kind of versatile chess piece the new regime covets.
Right now, McCollum will need to get up to speed and initially look to contribute on special teams. However, if he can ascend like Spytek saw his twin brother do in Tampa Bay, then the Raiders might have gotten a steal.