The Las Vegas Raiders have gotten off to a hot start to the season, and a big reason for that has been the play of the defense. The team decided to rely on a young secondary heading into the season, and that has paid off so far.
Darien Porter was the Week 1 starter, but had to sit out in Week 2 due to injury. This led to rookie fifth-round pick Hezekiah Masses getting the starting nod. It’s hard to imagine a first start going any better.
Against the Chargers, Masses had five tackles, one tackle for loss, two passes defended and two interceptions. Thanks to his strong performance, the NFL announced that Masses has been named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week.
It’s hard to imagine that Masses thought he’d be in a graphic next to former MVP Josh Allen after just his second game. The Raiders loved what they saw from Masses all offseason, but things change for young players when real games start getting played.
That hasn’t been the case for Masses yet. The moment hasn’t looked too big for him. He’s bound to face some rookie growing pains, but for now, he looks like an absolute steal for general manager John Spytek.
Masses Couldn’t Sleep
Masses has remained a confident player, but fifth-round picks don’t often get chances to start this early in their careers. It’s a testament to his hard work that he was even given the opportunity.
The NFL season is grueling and filled with many ups and downs. Masses is going to take his lumps at some point, but he really tried to enjoy the performance he had against the Chargers.
“It was definitely a big moment,” Masses said, via Raiders.com. “I couldn’t even sleep last night, man, I was like, ‘I can’t let my team down.’ I knew they were going to try to come at me being a rookie and I just had to make plays on the ball.”
This is just the beginning, but Masses is off to a fantastic start.
Will Masses Continue to Start?
The Raiders could have a decision to make soon. Porter earned a starting cornerback job before the season and played well in Week 1. The only reason he didn’t start in Week 2 was due to injury.
He’s another player who has big-time upside. At the same time, how can they bench Masses after winning AFC Defensive Player of the Week? For his part, Masses isn’t worried about it.
“I don’t really look at depth charts,” Masses said. “It’s just, whenever I have the opportunity, I’m just trying to make plays. Whenever they call 35 out there, I’m just trying to make plays.”
This is a great problem for the Raiders to have. Their secondary has been inconsistent for over a decade. It looks like they might have some real depth now. Fourth-round pick Jermod McCoy hasn’t even been talked about much yet, and he has the potential to be a starting cornerback if he’s healthy. Whether it’s Porter or Masses starting in Week 3, the Raiders have to feel better about their depth at cornerback.
NFL Announces Notable News for Raiders Rookie