Getty Josh McDaniels & Dave Ziegler of the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Las Vegas Raiders cornerback room got a makeover this offseason with new faces Marcus Peters, Duke Shelley, Jakorian Bennett and David Long Jr. all likely to earn a roster spot. However, that could be bad news for a returning player.
Amik Robertson started seven games for the Raiders last season but the former fourth-round pick might be on the outside looking in, according to Bleacher Report. Instead of cutting Robertson outright, Alex Ballentine pitched a trade that would send Robertson to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Robertson was not one of the major problems for the Raiders last season,” Ballentine wrote in an August 24 column. “He ended up playing in 17 games, starting seven contests. He had some decent ball production with nine passes defended and two interceptions.
“One team that could use some depth at corner is the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers are set to start Chandon Sullivan in the slot, and Robertson is at least a comparable player who could give them another option.”
Robertson’s value on the trade market is likely low. The Raiders would be looking at a sixth or seventh-round pick in return for the cornerback. However, that’s still better than cutting him for nothing.
Dave Ziegler Talks Las Vegas Raiders Defense
A big goal for the Raiders this offseason was to upgrade the defense after finishing 26th in the NFL last season in points allowed per game (24.6). The team was also last in the league in takeaways (13). One thing that general manager Dave Ziegler wanted to get the defense better at is creating turnovers.
“I think a big emphasis that we put on the defense was making plays on the football,” Ziegler said during his August 24 media availability. “And we’ve seen that so far here in training camp, it showed up at the joint practices, it showed up in the games, and obviously it doesn’t really mean anything until we carry it out on the field, but at the same time, that was an emphasis that we wanted to focus on in training camp, and it showed up. So you have to be you have to be excited about that, and you have to feel good about it.”
The Raiders have been forcing turnovers in training camp but it remains to be seen if that will translate into the regular season.
Dave Ziegler Discusses Tre’von Moehrig & Nate Hobbs
One way the Raiders’ defense could be much better in 2023 is if some young players start to step up. Cornerback Nate Hobbs and safety Tre’von Moehrig both looked like potential stars when they were rookies in 2021 but they both took steps back last season. Dave Ziegler believes he’s seeing some improvement from both of them.
“They’ve definitely made strides in terms of their consistency in their performance, and I think the two guys that you mentioned, Marcus Epps and Marcus Peters, those guys have a certain standard that they take pride in how their room performs on a day-to-day basis in practice, and that’s contagious to the other guys in the room,” Ziegler said. “And so, it’s been an important part, I think, for the whole unit’s development to have guys like that in the room that demand a certain standard and have a certain expectation, and that’s been exciting to see.”