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The Las Vegas Raiders defense took a leap last season but it still wasn’t an elite unit. The team finished 26th in points per game allowed so there’s a lot of work to do. New defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has some good pieces to work with. Maxx Crosby, Yannick Ngakoue, Trevon Moehrig and Denzel Perryman all had very strong seasons.
However, the Raiders need to strengthen the secondary. First-round pick cornerback Damon Arnette was cut during the season and Casey Hayward is a free agent. There will be some strong options available to the team in free agency but they could also explore the trade market. One name the Raiders should take a strong look at is Xavien Howard. Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report pitched that Las Vegas trade this year’s first-round pick and next year’s second-round pick to the Miami Dolphins for Howard.
The Las Vegas Raiders already have an impressive pair of pass-rushers in Yannick Ngakoue and Maxx Crosby.
They could form a formidable duo at corner as well. Casey Hayward is set to become a free agent, but he had a great season even at 32 years old, holding opposing passers to a 57.1 completion percentage. After finding success in Las Vegas, he should want to re-sign.
Making a move for Xavien Howard would make the secondary legitimately scary. He took a step back from his 2020 All-Pro campaign but still had five interceptions and only gave up a 52.7 completion percentage when targeted in 2021.
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Howard Is a Perfect Fit in Raiders Defense
If the Raiders want an upgrade at cornerback, they won’t find somebody much better suited for their defense than Howard. He just spent the last three seasons under coach Brian Flores, who worked closely with Graham. In fact, the new Raiders defensive coordinator served the position with the Dolphins in 2019 and coached Howard.
He led the NFL in interceptions in 2018 and 2020 while being named to All-Pro teams in each of those seasons. Considering his familiarity with Graham’s style of defense, he’d make a lot of sense in Las Vegas. The Dolphins could be entering a bit of a rebuild now that they have a new head coach. Howard would likely prefer to go to a team that’s looking to win now.
Is It Worth Giving up Picks for Howard?
The Raiders used a first-round pick on a cornerback in Arnette just a couple of years ago. That turned out to be a major mistake so why not use a first-round pick on a proven player like Howard? Also, he’s under contract until 2024 so there isn’t a risk of him ditching the team in the near future.
Now, he did have some contract issues with the Dolphins last season but that got worked out. It’s unclear exactly how the contract was changed but Howard could want to get paid a bigger contract. He made his third Pro Bowl in 2021 so he’s got a lot of leverage right now.
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