If there is one spot on the roster that could be the downfall of the Raiders this season, it’s their secondary. The unit will feature a ton of young players as it’s possible that all four starters are in their first, second or third year in the NFL.
The Raiders do believe that several of their young players can make a big leap, but they don’t have many reliable pieces in their secondary right. The only “sure” thing is Casey Hayward Jr., but he is coming off the worst year of his career. It’s a unit that we just don’t know much about heading into the season.
In a recent article by Ben Linsey of Pro Football Focus, he ranked all 32 secondaries going into the 2021 season. Not surprisingly, the Raiders finished near the bottom at No. 29. Here is a small snippet of what the site had to say about the unit:
“The Raiders need to see improvement out of each of (Trayvon) Mullen, (Johnathan) Abram and (Damon) Arnette in 2021. That holds especially true for Abram (PFF’s lowest-graded safety last season) and Arnette (sixth-lowest graded cornerback last season). Casey Hayward Jr. — the lone veteran with an opportunity to start — is coming off a career-low 59.5 overall grade in 2020.”
The Raiders are very hopeful that Mullen and Abram can bounce back after subpar seasons. Arnette, on the other hand, might be closer to fighting for a roster spot than a starting job. But the Raiders believe that they can get quality play from their secondary, especially with Gus Bradley now in as the defensive coordinator.
How well (or how poorly) this unit plays in 2021 will be the deciding factor for a defense that was among the worst in the NFL last season. If they can play to a competent level with a few young players improving, the defense could get better in a hurry. But if they struggle again like we saw last year, it could be a long season for the Raiders.
Leave a Reply