The Las Vegas Raiders are a team in transition this offseason, and cornerback is one of the positions that could see big changes.
The Raiders cut ties with Jack Jones earlier this offseason, but also added Eric Stokes in free agency and Darien Porter in the draft.
Those two join Darnay Holmes, who is currently penciled in to start in the slot, and Decamerion Richardson and Jakorian Bennett, both of whom will compete with Porter and Stokes on the boundary.
With Jones gone, Bennett is the only player in the cornerbacks room who had a job in Las Vegas' starting secondary last season, but even he appears to be in trouble under the new regime, which could lead to three new starters at the position.
But there are concerns with all five of those players. Holmes and Stokes have never been anything more backup-quality players, Porter and Richardson are unproven, and Bennett only has one good year under his belt after a dismal rookie year.
If the Raiders want to add more experience to their room, USA TODAY's Jacob Camenker thinks signing former Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander would be a worthwhile move.
Pete Carroll has earned a reputation for coaching up cornerbacks during his NFL career, but the Raiders are presently lacking a No. 1 corner. Alexander would change that, and he projects as a nice longer-term complement to third-round rookie Darien Porter – a raw, bigger-bodied defensive back.
The Raiders already signed one former Packers cornerback during the offseason in Eric Stokes. Perhaps they will go back to the well and target Alexander.
Alexander and the Packers have been in a standoff over his contract all offseason, but things finally came to a head on Monday when the Packers released the veteran after he refused to take a reduced contract that was heavy on incentives.
It's not hard to see why the Packers were so hellbent on getting Alexander to take a pay cut. He had missed 34 games over the past four seasons and his $84 million contract was no longer tenable.
The Raiders should, at the very least, kick the tires on Alexander and see if they can get him on a one-year deal that would be a low-risk, high-reward signing that won't impact their cap situation beyond this season.
When on the field for seven games in 2024, Alexander was still effective. He gave up a completion rate of 56.7% and a passer rating of 86.9 when targeted.
Adding Alexander would give the Raiders a much-needed veteran presence and proven starting option on the boundary, which would take pressure off Porter and not force him to take on a role he might not be ready for in Year 1.
If Porter can step into a starting role in his first season, that would give the Raiders excellent depth at cornerback, and general manager John Spytek could then turn around and trade one of those players to pick up extra draft capital.
Again, the Raiders should not commit to Alexander beyond this coming season, but with $36.1 million in cap space currently, they can easily afford to have Alexander on their books in 2025.
