The Raiders have all the makings of a great defense. They have a superstar pass rusher, a dominating presence at defensive tackle and depth across the entire defense. But the only reason this defense might not finish as an elite unit could be their cornerback room.
During the 2023 season, the Raiders got adequate play from Jack Jones and Nate Hobbs. Jones was a midseason signing who proved to be a perfect fit in Las Vegas. And Hobbs had a bounce-back season after a disappointing sophomore campaign.
But for the Raiders to make that leap as a defense, they need their cornerback play to be even better. In a recent article by Seth Walder of ESPN, he wrote about the biggest X-factor for the Raiders during the 2024 season. He named the cornerback room as the position that needs to step up:
Cornerbacks Jack Jones, Jakorian Bennett and Nate Hobbs. The defensive line is clearly a strength, as Mike mentioned. So the success of this defense will rise or fall with the three corners. Jones, claimed off waivers from New England last year, recorded a slightly better than average 1.2 yards per coverage snap allowed last season, per NFL Next Gen Stats. Hobbs (1.6) and Bennett (1.7) were worse in the metric — though Bennett’s numbers came in a small sample. Vegas will need at least some of this group to step up in 2024.
It remains unclear who will be the other starting cornerback in Las Vegas, but the expectation is that Jakorian Bennett will get the first crack at it. This isn’t a star-studded group for the Raiders, but they need to be even better if the defense wants to maintain their spot inside the top 10.
