Getty Josh McDaniels & Patrick Graham of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Coaches change, owners change and players change but the Las Vegas Raiders defense remains one of the worst units in the NFL. The team hasn’t been top-10 in points allowed since 2002 and hasn’t been top-10 in yards allowed since 2006. Patrick Graham was hired as defensive coordinator this offseason to finally fix the group but that hasn’t been the case. The Raiders have the eighth-worst scoring defense in the league this season.
Much of that stems from the NFL’s eighth-worst pass defense. The Raiders don’t get after the quarterback and the cornerbacks haven’t provided consistent coverage since Nate Hobbs was placed on Injured Reserve. The team didn’t make any moves to sure up the secondary at the trade deadline but could have interest in a player who was just released.
The Seattle Seahawks waived Sidney Jones this week and he cleared waivers, which means he’s currently a free agent. According to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Raiders are expected to take a look at him.
Jones originally came into the NFL as a second-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017 and won a Super Bowl ring as a rookie. He only lasted three seasons with the Eagles before getting cut. He also spent a season with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He’s started in 25 games over his career and has caught four interceptions.
Is Jones a Fit With the Raiders?
When Jones came into the NFL, he was highly touted and often compared to Pro Bowl cornerback Marcus Peters. Things haven’t gone according to plan for the former Washington standout but perhaps the Raiders could get the best out of him. Jones quickly fell out of favor with the Seahawks and only played 45 snaps for them this season despite being healthy.
He’s an aggressive cornerback who could be a better fit in Graham’s defense that uses more man coverage. The Raiders need all the help they can get so it certainly wouldn’t be a bad idea to give Jones a shot. He’s only 26 and could still have room to reach his full potential.
Raiders Not Getting Turnovers
The Raiders have four takeaways this season, which is the lowest of any team in the NFL. This isn’t a new problem as they have been among the league’s worst teams at getting takeaways for years. Luckily, they are also among the best at not turning the ball over as they have the second-fewest giveaways in the league. If the Raiders can just figure out how to create more turnovers, they could be a much more dangerous team.
Graham spoke about the defense’s lack of turnovers this season.
“That’s one of the beautiful things about coaching, we try to find ways to make sure in practice that we’re simulating as much as we can the game conditions,” Graham said Tuesday. “And same thing with turnovers as it would be with setting the edge, you’re finding ways to create opportunities for those guys to practice what’s going to come up in the game. It starts with presenting them with the opportunities for turnovers, and then also trying to create schematically opportunities for turnovers. And then just looking to execute once we get to game day, but it all starts with practice. It starts with the film study, then with practice, and then you’re looking for game execution. So, that’s where that process goes.”