For most of the offseason, the focus on the Las Vegas Raiders has been towards the offense.
Much of the speculation swirling around the offseason has revolved around the quarterback position. The Raiders have also seen attention pushed towards their running back room and wide receiver corps, suggesting an overhaul on the offensive side of the ball. The minimal moves made in free agency so far suggest that the Raiders have found draft prospects they like, hoping to bring them into the organization.
However, there is one position now receiving a new influx of attention, despite the Raiders making several moves to address it already.
Is cornerback still a weakness for the 2025 Raiders?
Despite several moves in free agency, the Raiders still have questions surrounding the cornerback depth this season.
Jack Jones suffered from an inconsistent 2024, while the CB2 battle is between oft-injured Jakorian Bennett and reclamation project Eric Stokes. Recent re-signings in Darnay Holmes and Sam Webb profile more as veteran depth options. The Raiders also have yet to truly replace slot cornerback Nate Hobbs, who left Las Vegas for the Green Bay packers during the legal tampering period.
There is also a possibility that Jones does not factor into the new Raiders plan, as Moe Moton of Bleacher Report pitched a trade sending him to the Carolina Panthers for a seventh-round pick.
“Jack Jones had an up-and-down 2024 campaign,” Moton wrote. “The Raiders’ lead cornerback registered 16 pass breakups and three interceptions, but he allowed eight touchdowns and a 98.5 passer rating.”
“Raiders’ new lead skipper Pete Carroll tends to favor bigger defensive backs. At 5’11”, 175 pounds, Jones may be available for a late-round pick, and if he is, Carolina should make a move for him to bolster its secondary.”
With the cornerback room already being a big enough question mark as is, moving on from Jones means the Raiders will have to address the position further.
What can the Raiders do to improve at the position?
Mock drafts have recently pitched new ideas to suggest adding a cornerback.
Michigan cornerback Will Johnson is likely going to be available with the sixth overall pick, making perfect sense for a team needing an option at the position. East Carolina’s Shavon Revel Jr. is another fantastic option if he slides to Round Two due to his recovery from a torn ACL. Ole Miss’s Trey Amos, Notre Dame’s Benjamin Morrison and Florida State’s Azaraye’h Thomas make sense for the Raiders as well, assuming they wish to add depth to the position.
Another, more established option is also available in the form of Green Bay Packers former All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander.
“The oft-injured cornerback has a cap number of $18.1 million and no guaranteed money in the remaining years of his contract,” Moton wrote in a separate article. “Any team that acquires him would have to restructure his deal, but if he can stay on the field, the 28-year-old can bolster the Raiders’ secondary. Las Vegas should offer a fifth-round pick for him.”
While Alexander has enjoyed a successful career in Green Bay, injuries have threatened to derail his career. He has missed ten games in each of the last two seasons, causing the Packers to make him available for trade.
Sources: The #Packers have had trade conversations centered around star CB Jaire Alexander and they are open to moving him for the right price.
Alexander, still just 28 and a two-time Pro Bowler, is considered to be the most decorated CB available. pic.twitter.com/rOF3qsBn1z
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 26, 2025
The Raiders now have a new problem that needs their attention, as well as multiple options on how to effectively handle it.
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