Getty Brandon Facyson defending Tyreek Hill.
One of the great mysteries of Las Vegas Raiders training camp was the absence of cornerback Brandon Facyson. He essentially missed weeks worth of practice but the team didn’t give out many details about it.
When the Raiders cut the roster down to 53 players, Facyson made the team but was quickly sent to Injured Reserve. However, with the signing of Darnay Holmes, the team has decided to release Facyson with an injury settlement, Las Vegas announced on August 29.
This is a disappointing development for the Raiders as Facyson was supposed to compete with Jakorian Bennett for one of the starting outside cornerback spots. The veteran cornerback had previously started nine games for the team in 2021 and was brought back last year. He only played three games due to injury and clearly has a difficult time staying healthy.
With Facyson getting let go, this puts a lot of pressure on Bennett to perform well early in the season. He began the 2023 season as a starter and lasted four games before the Raiders sent him to the bench due to poor play. Bennett had a strong training camp but it’s going to be difficult to trust him until he shows to have success during regular season games.
Could Las Vegas Raiders Bring Brandon Facyson Back?
It’s possible the Raiders could look at Facyson again if he were to get healthy later in the season. He’s a veteran cornerback who understands the defense. He also has strong ties to general manager Tom Telesco, who signed Facyson as an undrafted free agent in 2018 when he held the same position with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Prior to the news that Facyson was getting released, Telesco had a lot of praise for the veteran cornerback.
“Yeah, I mean, Brandon [Facyson] has shown he’s been a starting-level corner in this league,” Telesco said during his August 27 media availability. “So, he’s just had a tough run of luck the last couple weeks. But when healthy, he’s been a really good player, so we’ll kind of see how it plays out from there.”
Considering his familiarity with the system and Telesco’s respect for him, it seems like there’s a good chance Facyson will be on the Raiders’ radar later in the season when he’s healthy.
Antonio Pierce Talks Darnay Holmes Signing
Holmes is a logical replacement for Facyson as he spent two years in defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s defense in 2020 and 2021. Head coach Antonio Pierce also has a longstanding relationship with the cornerback.
“I’ve known Darnay [Holmes] since he was 13,” Pierce said during his August 29 press conference. “I coached him on the 7-on-7 team when he was a freshman. I know his father, I know his family well, followed him throughout his career, spoke to him throughout his college process.”
One thing that appealed to Pierce about Holmes is his versatility. It sounds like the Raiders plan to use the cornerback in multiple spots on the defense.
“Yeah, position flex. I mean, that’s key for us, right?” Pierce said of Holmes. “Really, the only guy we got that can go inside-outside or outside-inside is Nate Hobbs. So, when you can add another player like that … it makes us a better overall unit.”
