Most would agree that the Las Vegas Raiders have had a positive offseason. It started with the hiring of head coach Pete Carroll and general manager Jon Spytek.
Then they took care of the most important position by trading for veteran quarterback Geno Smith. They also took care of their most important player by signing Maxx Crosby to a massive three-year extension.
Outside of those major moves, the Raiders made some nice free agent acquisitions and had a solid overall draft.
However, after all this, they are still fairly weak at the cornerback position and are entering the season with very little experience.
The current expected starting corners are:
- Jakorian Bennett
- Eric Stokes
- Darnay Holmes (NB)
There is potential in the room, but also a very low flow.
The free agent market is pretty dry at this point, but there are talented players that teams may be interested in trading for cap relief after June 1st.
Bleacher Report recently listed every NFL team’s biggest roster needs and tradable assets. They named a few cornerbacks, and the Raiders should absolutely entertain the idea of picking up the phone and reaching out.
Top Cornerback Trade Asset Would Bolster Las Vegas Raiders
Alex Ballentine listed a few cornerback options in his Bleacher Report piece, but the most intriguing one to me was Dallas Cowboys CB DaRon Bland.
Bland had an astonishing 14 interceptions over his first two seasons. 9 of those came in 2023, and 5 of them he returned for touchdowns. Talk about game-changing plays.
Last season, he only played in 7 games and did not record an interception.
He is in the last year of this rookie contract, and the Cowboys are currently negotiating a monster contract with Micah Parsons, so they most likely will not be able to afford a second contract for Bland.
Also Read: Las Vegas Raiders Share Huge Maxx Crosby Injury Update
They can trade him to the Raiders and get something instead of letting him walk for nothing after the season.
Still just 25 years old, he would be a huge addition to the Raiders’ secondary and would allow some of the younger players to develop instead of getting thrown into the fire right off the bat.
With Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and Bo Nix all in the same division, the Raiders need to do something to infuse some proven talent on the backend, and DaRon Bland would certainly do that.
Thoughts, Raider Nation?