At the beginning of the 2024 season, the cornerback position seemed to be one of the more exciting spots on the Las Vegas Raiders‘ roster. One of their most notable players was Jack Jones, who joined the team halfway through the 2023 season and excelled to end the year. In addition, Nate Hobbs is also a proven veteran at the nickel-corner spot. Finally, there are some young players in the unit such as Jakorian Bennett and Decamerion Richardson who have potential.
As Las Vegas has subsequently struggled, so has this position. Richardson had a late start to his season due to a hamstring injury and is still adjusting to the NFL. Jones has been one of the more disappointing players on the roster. Hobbs has been as impressive as he’s always been. Bennett had a strong start to the year, but like many players in the organization, injuries halted his progress.
The Raiders do have talent at this position, but it’s clear they’ll need to add depth. These three free agents seem to be the best options to give the team that depth.
Las Vegas Raiders: Taking a closer look at three free agent cornerbacks
Carlton Davis: Consistently impressive play
After spending six seasons in Tampa Bay, Carlton Davis is in the midst of his first year in Detroit. The star cornerback hasn’t taken any kind of step back since changing teams. Davis already has 11 passes defended on the year, along with two interceptions. The Lions’ cornerback is allowing a passer rating of just 77.0 when targeted, as well as a 55.3-percent completion rate.
Although Davis is in the midst of one of the best seasons in his career, this isn’t anything new for him. The 27-year-old has been playing at an elite level since entering the NFL back in 2018.
What’s most impressive, though, is Davis has done it both reliably and consistently. He’s played in at least 10 games every season throughout his career, and has played in at least 13 games five times.
Davis is capable of staying healthy, and he’s consistently excellent on defense. By adding him, the Raiders’ defense instantly gets better.
D.J. Reed: Similar production, but potentially cheaper
There are some similarities between the careers of D.J. Reed and Davis. The former entered the league in the same year, being drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the fifth round. Reed has bounced around a little more, playing for both the Seattle Seahawks and New York Jets in the meantime. However, he’s had pretty similar levels of production in comparison to Davis in recent years.
Reed did struggle at the start of his career, but as a fifth-round pick, that’s common. What isn’t common is the improvements Reed has made since then.
While the New York corner has only six interceptions throughout his career, he’s been effective in coverage. Reed has 50 career passes defended in addition to allowing an 81.1 passer rating when targeted this season.
Reed has developed into quite a player, and will likely be cheaper than a guy like Davis this summer. If Las Vegas wants to improve the position without breaking the bank, Reed could be an option.
Stephon Gilmore: A veteran for the Las Vegas Raiders who can still play
If the year was 2019, Raiders fans would be jumping for joy if Las Vegas managed to land a player like Gilmore. Although he can’t play at the same level nowadays, fans would be foolish to act as if Gilmore can’t play at all.
Gilmore has an interception and seven passes defended on the year, and is allowing an 86.7 rating when targeted.
Nobody would be asking Gilmore to come in and play like a star again. However, he’s still at least a solid depth option, which the Raiders obviously are in need of. Perhaps even more importantly, Las Vegas has young cornerbacks in Bennett and Richardson who could greatly benefit from the experience and wisdom a player like Gilmore possesses.
