Raiders Listed as Landing Spot for Top FA to Fix “Achilles Heel”

The Las Vegas Raiders’ offseason has been anything but quiet. With a front office shakeup that included the hiring of Super Bowl-winning head coach Pete Carroll and a bold trade for veteran quarterback Geno Smith, the franchise is signaling it’s ready to compete. But there are still some weak spots on the team, especially at cornerback.

To combat the “Achilles heel,” as CBS Sports puts it, they believe the Raiders are one of the top landing spots for former Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr., and for good reason.

Raiders Named Top Landing Spot for Asante Samuel Jr.

At present, the Raiders’ cornerback group is built more on potential than proven performance. Here’s what CBS Sports had to say about the Raiders’ current CB situation:

“Third-round rookie Darien Porter could factor into one of the starting spots on the boundary, but there’s not much promise beyond that. The Raiders did sign Eric Stokes in March, but given that it’s simply a one-year, $4 million deal, he shouldn’t be looked at as a lock to be a bona fide starter. Similar to Minnesota, adding Samuel Jr. would give the Raiders another dice roll as they look for stability in the secondary. And they’ll need it playing in an AFC West division that consists of Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and Bo Nix.”

Samuel brings both youth and experience to the table. In the four games he played last season before suffering an unfortunate season-ending injury, he held opposing QBs to a 89.6 passer rating. In 2023, when he played the full season, Samuel broke up a career-high 13 passes and recorded two interceptions.

And to be fair, he was playing in a system that didn’t always play to his strengths, which is something the Raiders could look to correct. While Samuel’s availability this late into the offseason might raise some questions, it also means his asking price isn’t as high as you would expect from a 25-year-old cornerback. His addition would provide not just depth, but legitimate competition for starting reps.

A Low-Risk, High-Upside Investment

The Raiders have done an admirable job retooling their roster in key areas, but a thin cornerback room could cost the team some games. Porter hasn’t played a snap in the NFL. Stokes has an injury history and has shown inconsistent play in Green Bay. Plus, the team is hoping Darnay Holmes and Jakorian Bennett, among others, will step up in larger roles next season.

As CBS Sports highlighted, adding Samuel would be a low-risk, high-upside move, which is exactly the kind of signing a team having to defend against Mahomes, Herbert, and Nix should pursue. If Las Vegas is serious about contending next season, general manager John Spytek should be on the phone with Samuel’s representatives.