One of the most significant Las Vegas Raiders decisions this offseason was letting safety Tre'von Moehrig walk in free agency.
The Raiders compensated for that loss by adding veteran safety Jeremy Chinn, at a much more reasonable cost than what Moehrig demanded.
Zachary Pereles of CBS Sports recently listed under-the-radar players who have a chance to make a league-wide impact this upcoming season. He believes Chinn is one of those players.
"Given a one-year 'prove-it' deal with the Washington Commanders last year, Chinn proved it. His 107 tackles were 10th among defensive backs. Add in a pair of sacks and seven tackles for loss as a whole, and he earned a nice two-year deal for Las Vegas, which hopes his physicality carries over," Pereles said.
Following Organized Team Activities, Raiders Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham explained what Chinn brings to the table. The Raiders' defensive backfield is undoubtedly the most significant question mark on the roster heading into the season.
"It starts off, I would say, with Jeremy [Chinn] – the leadership, I don't know if you guys got a chance to talk to him, but just in terms of his leadership, he's very sure of himself, because he puts in the work. Self-confidence comes from preparation; it's not a self-esteem thing or self-talk thing," Graham said.
"When you're prepared, you're really, really confident. That's what I see from him. And he's been a sponge in terms of learning how we want to do things, and then all the physical attributes, but all 32 teams know about that. The speed, the size, physicality, ability to tackle, and nose for the ball. So, I mean, it's all been positive there."
Chinn has also already started to make an impact on his teammates. Following OTAs, fellow Raiders safety Isaiah Pola-Mao noted the intensity with which Chinn plays, and how it contrasts with his calm demeanor off the field.
The Raiders need both Chinn and Pola-Mao to have productive seasons in 2025, as both were fairly compensated by the Raiders earlier this offseason. Safety is a top-heavy position for the Raiders this season.
Chinn and Pola-Mao have a lot on their plates in what is an overall unproven defensive backfield.
“Yeah, Chinn is a funny guy, man. When his helmet comes on, he kind of flips that switch, like he goes in that mode where he's locked in.? So having him on the field, it kind of puts me at ease, because I know he's locked in, and he knows what he's doing. It just puts me at ease, like I said, and we can play faster," Pola-Mao said.
