The Las Vegas Raiders will enter the 2025 season with one of the youngest and most unproven cornerback groups in the NFL. New head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek made sweeping changes to the secondary this offseason, but now the question becomes: will the youth movement hold up when the games count?
Eric Stokes Leads a Young Group
Free-agent signing Eric Stokes is the veteran of the room at just 26 years old, a reminder of just how inexperienced this group is. Stokes comes over on a one-year, $3.5 million deal and will be relied upon to stabilize a position in transition.
His running mate is less certain. Former Bishop Gorman standout Kyu Blu Kelly, 24, has emerged as the early starter after a strong training camp, but with only 12 NFL games under his belt, his experience is still limited.
Challenging him is rookie Darien Porter, a third-round pick who began his college career as a wide receiver before transitioning to cornerback. Second-year corner Decamerion Richardson, a 2024 fourth-round pick who played in 12 games as a rookie, is also very much in the mix.
Slot corner Darnay Holmes remains the lone veteran holdover, bringing 70 career games of experience. But beyond Holmes and Stokes, the Raiders’ cornerback group is long on potential and short on proven production.
A Complete Overhaul
The Raiders’ secondary looks drastically different from last year. Jack Jones, Nate Hobbs, and Jakorian Bennett—the team’s top three corners in 2024—are all gone.
- Hobbs signed with Green Bay in free agency.
- Jones was released outright.
- Bennett was dealt to the Eagles for defensive lineman Thomas Booker IV.
Rather than spend big on replacements, Carroll and Spytek leaned on value. Along with signing Stokes and drafting Porter, they’re banking on internal development from Kelly and Richardson. The result: Las Vegas is spending just $9.56 million on their cornerbacks this season, the third-lowest figure in the NFL.
Carroll’s Blueprint
If the strategy feels familiar, it should. During his 14 years in Seattle, Carroll rarely invested heavily in cornerbacks through free agency or the draft. Instead, he trusted his system and coaching to maximize under-the-radar talent.
That approach produced gems like Richard Sherman and Riq Woolen—both fifth-round picks—and fueled the legendary “Legion of Boom” secondary that powered the Seahawks to a Super Bowl XLVIII title.
The Raiders are hoping Carroll can replicate that formula in Las Vegas.
High Risk, High Reward
Still, there’s no denying the gamble here. Stokes has only played in 45 of a possible 68 games in his career, raising durability concerns. Carroll has suggested the Raiders have a plan to keep him healthy, but any setbacks would put immense pressure on Kelly, Porter, and Richardson to step up quickly.
The physical tools are there. Kelly’s instincts, Porter’s athleticism, and Richardson’s length all fit Carroll’s defensive philosophy. But until they prove it on Sundays, cornerback remains the biggest question mark on the roster.
The answers will start to come quickly. The Raiders open the 2025 season at 10 a.m. Sunday against the New England Patriots, a matchup that will immediately test this young secondary.
1 comment
We’ll get it figured out!