Rarely in the NFL does a backup step in and the team doesn't miss a beat. Good rosters, though, have solid contingency plans and smart coaching that masks the drop-off from first- to second-teamers. But the Las Vegas Raiders going from Isaiah Pola-Mao to Treydan Stukes is like plummeting off a cliff.
Rob Leonard did the best that he could to hide Pola-Mao's glaring deficiencies, but the New Orleans Saints still found him and keyed on him in Week 3. Yes, the Silver and Black pulled out a win, but the backup safety was an obvious negative in the contest and will remain a big issue going forward.
This was easy to see before the game even began, as Pola-Mao struggled in coverage all of last year. But Sunday's game in New Orleans fully exposed how far south things can go for this defense with him in the game, and the Raiders need to have a better Plan B if Stukes misses time again.
Isaiah Pola-Mao struggled immensely in Treydan Stukes' place for Raiders
Stukes more than earned the starting deep safety role this summer, and the first game and a half showed what he was capable of. And while Pola-Mao didn't sink the team while filling in during Week 2's game, he almost completely blew it for Las Vegas against the Saints, with a full week to prepare.
Simply put, Pola-Mao got picked on by New Orleans, especially in the red zone. He was targeted five times and gave up five receptions for 29 yards. And the worst part is that three of those catches - yes, three - went for touchdowns. He effectively gave up 21 of New Orleans' 27 points.
Not to mention, Pola-Mao missed a tackle that gave the Saints a big gain and helped set them up for one of their scores. And plays like this just show how disconnected Pola-Mao was from the rest of the group, as he clearly wasn't prepared, in position or listening to fellow safety Jeremy Chinn pre-snap.
Pola-Mao has always had talent and physical gifts, as his big frame is best suited to playing near the line of scrimmage and being a run defender or blitzer. But he just can't cover, and the sample size is big enough now that the Raiders should know better than to play him 56 snaps at free safety.
Next time, the team has to be better prepared, or it could really cost them. It almost did in Week 3.
Non-Pola-Mao contingency plans for Las Vegas if Stukes gets hurt again
Late last week, we discussed bringing in some external options to bolster the safety room, like Lathan Ransom from the Carolina Panthers or Jalen Mills from the Detroit Lions' practice squad. And it's hard to imagine that either of them would have performed worse than Pola-Mao did on Sunday.
And perhaps if the Raiders keep winning, or if Pola-Mao continues to underwhelm when called upon, John Spytek will make a move. But when it comes to in-house options, Las Vegas has other avenues to travel down to mitigate the loss of Stukes or to supplement the starting safety duo.
One option is to simply activate and play Tristin McCollum or Dalton Johnson in Pola-Mao's place. The former has some NFL experience under his belt and looked solid both last year in limited reps and this preseason in the new defense. He plays both safety spots and is versatile on special teams.
The latter has not been active for a game yet, but Johnson showed promise in the preseason. He can play either safety spot or the nickel, and he already has a rapport with Stukes from their college days together at Arizona. He's unproven, but conversely, Pola-Mao has proven that he can't do the job.
Another potential solution could be to push Taron Johnson back into more of a free safety role and to ask Chinn and Pola-Mao, or whoever else, to play down in the box or at nickel. It's not ideal, sure, but again, a repeat of what happened against the Saints can't occur. That was about as bad as it gets.
Ideally, Stukes returns to the lineup and stays healthy; he already looks like an All-Rookie talent and a potential future Pro Bowler. But injuries are a part of life in the NFL, and everyone gets tested at some point. And the Raiders need a better answer than Pola-Mao if Stukes is out again.
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