Getty Steven Nelson.
The Las Vegas Raiders are a bit thin on experience in their cornerback room as training camp looms and it appears they’ve been cosnidering addressing the position. According to a June 9 X post from KPRC 2 Houston’s Aaron Wilson, the team was considering signing former Houston Texans cornerback Steven Nelson.
However, Nelson announced that he’s retiring from the NFL.
At 31, Nelson may have had a couple of years left of being a capable starting cornerback. He had four interceptions last season so he was still playing at a high level. Nelson would’ve made a lot of sense for the Raiders.
He’s not a huge name so he likely wouldn’t have commanded too much money in a free agent contract. He would’ve easily been the Raiders’ most experienced cornerback and is a proven leader. He could’ve been a good player to have in a young secondary. Regardless, he’s stepping away from the game and the Raiders will have to look elsewhere if they want to add a cornerback.
Las Vegas Raiders May Rather Focus on Youth
The report from Wilson comes soon after The Athletic’s Tashan Reed reported that the Raiders aren’t looking to spend on any more free agents this offseason. The team was quiet after signing defensive tackle Christian Wilkins early in free agency and hasn’t been big spenders.
New general manager Tom Telesco appears to be focusing on building up the young players on the roster. Head coach Antonio Pierce and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham did a great job of developing young players last season and could foresee some guys taking leaps this year.
Signing a veteran cornerback isn’t guaranteed to work. In 2021, the Raiders signed Casey Hayward before the season and he ended up being an impact player. However, last year, the team signed Marcus Peters late in free agency and his play was so poor, that he was cut in the middle of the season. Adding an aging player this late in the game is always risky but it is easy to move off of them if they take a small contract. It wouldn’t hurt the Raiders much to bring somebody in if they don’t like what they’re seeing in mandatory minicamp.
Who Is Left for Las Vegas Raiders to Target at CB?
Now that Nelson is off the board and Xavien Howard is dealing with a legal issue, the Raiders’ options at cornerback are getting thinner. Stephon Gilmore is still available and he could make sense. He’s 34 now and could be willing to sign without a guaranteed starting spot.
Adoree’ Jackson would also make sense. He played under Graham when he was the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants. He’d be easy to plug in and play. For now, it looks like the Raiders are comfortable having Jack Jones, Jakorian Bennett and Brandon Facyson compete for the starting cornerback jobs.
Jones appears to have one of the spots locked down right now while Bennett and Facyson compete. Bennett taking control and earning the starting spot would be good news for the Raiders. He’s much younger and his speed makes him very interesting. He went into last year as a starter but was benched. Perhaps he’s ready to take a big leap in his second year.