The Las Vegas Raiders are a team in transition on both sides of the ball after making some significant moves this offseason, including at cornerback.
The Raiders are bringing Jakorian Bennett, Decamerion Richardson and Darnay Holmes back to the room, and added Eric Stokes in free agency and then Darien Porter in the NFL draft. But, they lost starting slot cornerback Nate Hobbs and released Jack Jones.
As things stand now, the Raiders don't have a sure replacement for Hobbs. Holmes is likely the best choice right now, but he's hardly an adequate starting option after he gave up a completion rate of 75% and a passer rating of 105.3 in 16 games last season.
Luckily for the Raiders, there is still a very capable veteran slot specialist available in free agency in former Cincinnati Bengals defender Mike Hilton, who just played out the final year of his $24 million deal.
Bleacher Report's Moe Moton is predicting the Raiders will sign Hilton in free agency.
"The Raiders lost slot cornerback Nate Hobbs in free agency," Moton wrote. "Darnay Holmes, who played in defensive coordinator Patrick Graham's defense during his time with the New York Giants, is the front-runner for the open position.
"Hilton has more experience and a stronger track record for making plays on all three downs than Holmes, though. If the Raiders are looking for a more proven talent in the slot, Hilton should be atop their free-agent target list."
Hilton was one of the more consistent defenders in Cincinnati over the last four years and his 2024 coverage numbers (67.2% completion rate and 92.0 passer rating) make him a sizeable upgrade over Holmes.
Hilton would also add an elite run defender to Las Vegas' defense after he ranked first among all cornerbacks in Pro Football Focus run defense grade (91.7).
Spotrac envisions Hilton landing a three-year, $37 million deal in free agency, which works out to $12.3 million annually. However, it's highly unlikely Hilton receives that kind of deal at this stage and we could see him signing a one-year contract instead that pulls in around $8 million or so in total.
No matter what he commands, the Raiders can easily afford it with $36.2 million in cap space. If the Raiders and Hilton can find a middle ground, the pairing makes total sense for both sides.
