Raiders Cut Speedy Veteran CB to Make Room for New Player

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Javelin Guidry tackles Tyler Allgeier.

The Las Vegas Raiders finally addressed their need at offensive tackle by adding Justin Herron in a trade with the New England Patriots. It’s unlikely he solves the team’s issues at right tackle but he won’t hurt. In order to make room for Herron, the team had to let go of a player already on the roster.

The player who got let go is cornerback Javelin Guidry, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Guidry was recently acquired by the Raiders when he was claimed off waivers after getting let go by the Arizona Cardinals. Based on Rapoport’s reporting, it sounds like the cornerback still has a future in Las Vegas if he clears waivers this time. Guidry is still a young player at 24 years old so there’s room for him to grow. He’s got elite athletic traits as he ran a 4.29 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine when he first came into the league. That’s certainly something the Raiders can work with if they are able to get him back on the practice squad. That said, there could be interest from other teams so it’s no guarantee Las Vegas will be able to bring him back.

Raiders Secondary Played Well in Week 2, Says Insider

The Raiders played one of their best halves of football in years against the Cardinals in Week 2. The offense and defense were playing at a high level and the team was up 20-0 after two quarters. The second half was a different story as the Raiders ended up getting outscored 29-3 and lost in overtime. While there weren’t many bright spots to come from the game, the secondary held up well.

In fact, quarterback Kyler Murray had to make a lot of the biggest plays in the game with his feet due to not being able to find open receivers. The Athletic’s Tashan Reed was impressed with what he saw from the defensive backs despite missing starting safety Tre’von Moehrig and starting cornerback Anthony Averett:

Duron Harmon started at free safety for Moehrig and played all 78 defensive snaps. He made five tackles, but his most impactful play was a pass breakup on a fourth down in overtime that gave the Raiders a chance to win the game.

With Averett out, Nate Hobbs played 68 of his 78 snaps at outside cornerback. Amik Robertson handled most of the duties at slot corner and looked good in a career-high 67 snaps. He made the first interception of his career in the second quarter and played his best game as a pro. In an extremely disappointing game, the secondary as a whole was a bright spot.

Raiders’ Defense Isn’t Perfect but Not Reason for 0-2 Start

There’s plenty of blame to go around for the Raiders’ 0-2 start but it doesn’t all fall on the defense. The pass rush hasn’t been nearly as good as advertised but they’ve been able to keep some high-powered offenses in check. The Raiders’ defense actually did enough to win against the Cardinals in Week 2 but a questionable defensive holding call late in the fourth quarter allowed Arizona to tie the game.

The offense has been a real disappointment thus far. The team has yet to score over 23 points in a game despite paying big money on Derek Carr, Davante Adams, Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow this offseason. The defense was always supposed to be a work in progress while the offense was going to carry the team. That hasn’t been the case through two games.