Getty Las Vegas Raiders GM Dave Ziegler.
Everything went right for the Las Vegas Raiders to end last season but nothing is going right to start this season. The team is 1-4 and all four losses have come by one score. The offense and defense have shown great flashes but neither unit has been consistently effective for an entire game.
The offense has the tools to figure things out eventually but there are some deficiencies with the team’s defensive personnel. Cornerback has been a major issue for the team this season. Starting cornerback Anthony Averett is currently on Injured Reserve and Rock Ya-Sin has already missed a game due to injury. The Raiders could certainly use more depth at the position. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell pitched a trade that gets the team a starting-caliber cornerback. He’s proposing Las Vegas sends defensive end Clelin Ferrell to the Detroit Lions for cornerback Amani Oruwariye:
Let’s get more changes of scenery, this time for two pending free agents on teams going nowhere. Ferrell has been a significant disappointment for Las Vegas after being drafted No. 4 overall in 2019. The Jon Gruden regime that drafted Ferrell is gone, and the Josh McDaniels administration has already declined Ferrell’s fifth-year option. He has been a reserve defensive end for the Raiders, who used him for a snap Monday night to slow down a split-out Travis Kelce as a would-be defensive back.
The Lions would be taking a shot on evaluating Ferrell as a rotational defensive end for what has been a horrible defense. In his place, they’d send Oruwariye to the Raiders. I thought he was a revelation last season and looked to be a building block for the Lions, but he has struggled in 2022 and was a healthy scratch last week against the Patriots. As a free agent after this season, Oruwariye’s future seems to be elsewhere, and the Raiders are perpetually in need of more help at cornerback.
Oruwariye Has Experience as a Starter
Oruwariye first came into the NFL as a fifth-round pick of the Lions in 2019. He eventually earned a starting spot and has started 34 total games. However, the Lions have the worst defense in the league this season as they are giving up 34.0 points a game and 428.6 yards. Oruwariye hasn’t helped things. He had a 27.7 Pro Football Focus grade this season.
Trading Ferrell for the cornerback might not be the best move. The former No. 4 overall pick in the draft hasn’t made many splash plays this season but he’s been solid. He has a 67.6 PFF grade and hasn’t missed a game. The Raiders do need a cornerback but giving up defensive line depth to get it wouldn’t be a wise move for general manager Dave Ziegler to make, especially considering Chandler Jones hasn’t had a great season.
CB Amani Oruwariye leads the league in penalties, ranks dead-last among all players at his position per PFF, and has blown several critical assignments for Detroit’s league-worst defense.
Now the struggling veteran has been benched in New England: t.co/Gv6K0T9mmt
Nate Hobbs Has Broken Bones in His Hand
The need for another cornerback may become even more important depending on Nate Hobbs‘ status. The cornerback had to leave the Week 5 game against the Kansas City Chiefs for a brief moment. When he came back, his left hand was covered with a cast. Hobbs then revealed on his Instagram that he broke bones in his hand.
He was able to tough it out in Week 5 but it’s unclear if he’ll need surgery or time off to recover. Luckily for the Raiders, they are on their bye week which will give Hobbs more time to figure out his situation.