Getty Ronald Darby covering Rob Gronkowski.
The Las Vegas Raiders swung and missed on a number of top cornerbacks in free agency. They reportedly made runs at Byron Jones and Darius Slay but didn’t want to overpay for either, so they passed. In the end, they signed Elie Apple to a one-year deal and that was the only cornerback help they’ve added so far. While the Raiders aren’t going to find a true number one cornerback this late in free agency, there are still some starting-caliber players available.
Former Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby has a Super Bowl championship under his belt and Sheli Kapadia of The Athletic predicted him to land in Las Vegas:
The Raiders wanted to take a big swing at corner but were unable to land Jones. They have focused on adding young talent on defense and took a one-year flier on cornerback Eli Apple. They could do the same on Darby, who is young and talented but has battled injuries and failed to reach his potential.
As Kapadia points out, there are some red flags with Darby. His injury history is certainly scary and the Eagles have struggled quite a bit in pass defense as of late. That said, if he’s willing to take a contract that is similar to Apple’s, it would be a low risk-high reward move for the Raiders.
What About Daryl Worley?
Daryl Worley was a consistent starter in 2019 and while he looked good at times, but he wasn’t consistent. He’s started 24 games for the Raiders over the last two seasons and the team’s defense hasn’t been good. It’s hard not to put some blame on Worley for that. Kapadia predicts that Worley will land with the Washington Redskins:
They traded corner Quinton Dunbar to the Seahawks Monday and have a hole at corner — even after signing Fuller. Worley is another player with a Rivera connection from their time together in Carolina.
It appears the Raiders are ready to move on from Worley, but they can’t be completely ruled out just yet. An argument can be made that Worley is better than both Apple and Darby. Plus, he’s only 25 years old. If he’s willing to come back on the cheap, the Raiders should at least consider bringing him back for one more year.
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Kristian Fulton a Target in the Draft?
Regardless of what the Raiders decide to do the rest of free agency, getting a cornerback early in the draft is a necessity. They clearly want to upgrade the position but weren’t able to make it happen. According to CBS Sports’ latest mock draft, a name to keep an eye on Kristian Fulton out of LSU:
Daryl Worley is a free agent and even though the Raiders signed Eli Apple, they still need depth at cornerback. Fulton is a physical cover corner who would’ve been a first-rounder had he come out after the 2018 season.
Based on last year’s draft, it’s clear that the Raiders are big fans of players with championship pedigrees. He was a key defender for the Nation Champions and would pair up nicely with Trayvon Mullen.
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