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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Levi Damien

AFC West cornerback units ranked with prospect of Marcus Peters joining Raiders

Today we learned the Marcus Peters will be visiting the Raider for a second time on Monday. Which would highly suggest he could be signing with the team.

Peters’s addition would be an improvement to the starting unit for the Raiders secondary. The first player you could point to that would be an upgrade and a much-needed one at that.

How much does it move the needle in terms of how the Raiders cornerbacks compare to the rest of the division? Let’s take a look.

1. Denver Broncos

Dec 25, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee (89) runs the ball against Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II (2) during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Pat Surtain II, Damarri Mathis, K’Waun Williams

Surtain is the best cornerback in the division. He led all AFC West cornerbacks in interceptions (4) and pass breakups (14). He also started all 17 games while giving up just 2.4 catches per game. Mathis and Williams were solid starters as well.

2. Los Angeles Chargers

Dec 4, 2022; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams (17) carries the ball against Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. (26) in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Asante Samuel Jr, JC Jackson, Ja’Sir Taylor

Some of this is a projection that JC Jackson will rebound from his first season with the Chargers. He had 17 interceptions in 2020-21, but fell off last season before being lost to injury after five games. Samuel has been very good over his first two NFL seasons after being selected in the second round of the draft.

3. Kansas City Chiefs

Oct 10, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed (38) tackles Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams (17) in the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: ​Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

L’Jarius Sneed, Jaylen Watson, Trent McDuffie

While sneed had a respectable three interceptions and 11 pass breakups, he also led the NFL with 73 catches allowed. Watson and McDuffie were quietly pretty solid starters with McDuffie giving up just 26 catches in 11 starts.

4. Las Vegas Raiders

Oct 10, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling (11) rush the ball defended by Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Nate Hobbs (39) in the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: ​Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Marcus Peters, Nate Hobbs, Duke Shelley

Yes, even though the addition of Peters no doubt improves the Raiders cornerback unit, they still come in behind the rest of the division. Even when incorporating Peters’s numbers into the equation, the Raiders current projected starters had the fewest interceptions (two) and pass breakups (18) of the other division trios while giving up the most combined catches per game (11).

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