Getty New Las Vegas Raiders CB Sidney Jones.
Eight games into the season, it’s clear that Las Vegas Raiders didn’t do enough to address their defense in the offseason. The Jacksonville Jaguars were 2-6 heading into the Week 8 matchup and beat the Raiders 27-20. The defense did little to stop second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the team didn’t get a single sack.
The pass rushing duo of Chandler Jones and Maxx Crosby was supposed to help hide the weaknesses in the secondary but the two have disappointed. With Nate Hobbs on Injured Reserve, Anthony Averett and Amik Robertson have been getting exposed. The Raiders have done little to improve the secondary this season and were quiet at the trade deadline.
Following the disastrous loss to the Jaguars, Las Vegas could no longer ignore the issue. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Raiders are expected to sign cornerback Sidney Jones if he passes his physical.
Former Seahawks’ CB Sidney Jones, the Eagles’ 2017 second-round pick from Washington, is expected to sign with the Las Vegas Raiders pending his physical, per source.
Jones was just recently cut by the Seattle Seahawks after he fell out of their cornerback rotation. The former second-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles has started 25 games in his career and owns a Super Bowl ring that he got during his rookie season. The Raiders desperately need cornerback help and now would be a great time for Jones to live up to his draft status. He’ll certainly have an opportunity to carve out a big role if he plays well.
Can Jones Earn a Starting Spot?
Hobbs will be eligible to return after next week’s game against the Indianapolis Colts, which will give the Raiders a huge boost. However, he’s the only cornerback who has played well. Rock Ya-Sin has been solid but definitely not a shutdown defender. Jones coming in and picking up the system quickly would be a big help. Averett hasn’t played well since returning from injury and Robertson is just too inconsistent.
Jones was an absolute stud in college at Washington. He’s only 26 and still has potential if he can find the right fit. The hope will be that the Raiders and Patrick Graham’s system will be the perfect fit for his skill set. If not, there’s not a lot of hope in the team fixing their pass defense this season.
How Long Is Patrick Graham’s Leash?
One of the biggest additions the Raiders made in the offseason was hiring Patrick Graham as defensive coordinator. The New York Giants wanted to keep him in the same position and he even interviewed for a head coaching job. He’s widely considered one of the best defensive minds in the NFL and one worry about the Raiders hiring him was that he wouldn’t be around long before getting a head coaching job.
He can say goodbye to the idea of getting a promotion after this season. The Raiders are 2-6 and much of that is due to the defense. Prior to Week 9, the defense was giving up the 10th most points per game in the league. That will likely be worse after all the games are played. Head coach Josh McDaniels couldn’t have expected to be on the hot seat this soon in his Raiders tenure. If the team continues to lose, he might have to offer up a sacrificial lamb to keep his job. Graham will be a prime candidate to get thrown under the bus. The Raiders don’t have great defensive personnel but there are enough pieces for them to at least have an average unit.
Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
FIRE McDANIELS and his entire staff.
Defense was terrible but the offense failed to score a single point in the second half. Another really stupid game like the Arizona game. Other teams make adjustments but we never seem to make any adjustments when we need to. Right now the team sucks from the coaches down to the players.