The Las Vegas Raiders have been surprisingly relaxed when it has come to addressing the cornerback position this offseason. It was consistently listed as one of the team’s biggest needs but they didn’t sign a marquee free agent or draft one in the early rounds.
With training camp starting up, there hasn’t been a cornerback outside of Jack Jones to cement themselves as one of the starters on the outside. Bleacher Report is now predicting the Raiders to sign free agent cornerback Adoree’ Jackson.
“This is a signing that makes sense for all parties involved,” the B/R NFL Scouting Department wrote in a July 31 column.
“The Raiders have some promising young corners on the roster, but the overall room is still shaky. Jack Jones had a great stretch of play when he arrived with the team midseason, and Nate Hobbs is a solid slot player.”
The Raiders can’t rely too much on the development of young players.
“After that, there’s a lot riding on the development of players such as Jakorian Bennett and rookies Decamerion Richardson and MJ Devonshire,” B/R wrote.
“The Raiders could take a little pressure off the young guys by signing Adoree’ Jackson. The 28-year-old had one of his best seasons when defensive coordinator Patrick Graham was with the New York Giants.”
Is Adoree’ Jackson a Fit?
Jackson is a former first-round pick who most recently played for the New York Giants. He was with the team in 2021 when Patrick Graham was still the defensive coordinator there. Now that Graham is with the Raiders, Jackson could make some sense.
He should at least have a base-level understanding of the defensive system. Jackson hasn’t necessarily lived up to his status as a top-20 draft pick but he’s started 77 games in his career and has been a team captain. That leadership would be a good fit in a very young Raiders secondary. The financial commitment it would take to sign Jackson should be very low so there isn’t much risk involved. If the Raiders don’t like what they’re seeing from their cornerbacks in training camp, Jackson would be a logical player for them to target.
Will Jakorian Bennett Start?
Jakorian Bennett is a player the Raiders really want to give a starting job to. He went into last season as a starter but was benched due to poor play. He now seems in line to start again this season if the Raiders don’t add a veteran.
Bennett has the tools to be a very good cornerback but he has a tendency to get called for pass interference at a high rate. If he could show that he’s improved from his rookie season, the Raiders will likely give him another chance to start. For his part, he remains confident.
“I ain’t really trying to show anybody anything, honestly, because my teammates know what I can do,” Bennett said during his July 29 media availability. “They know who I am, they see the work I put in and they believe in me.”
The preseason will be very important for Bennett. He needs to show that he can play well in a game setting even if it’s just against backups.
