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Going into the 2023 season, the biggest weakness on the roster for the Raiders is their secondary. The unit is comprised of multiple players on rookie contracts, such as Nate Hobbs, Trevon Moehrig and Amik Robertson. They’ve also added a 2023 draft pick (Jakorian Bennett) who is expected to play a heavy amount of snaps as a rookie.
The Raiders are optimistic that they can piece together a secondary and that several of their young players will step up. But just how bad is the unit (on paper) compared to the rest of the NFL?
In a recent article by Pro Football Focus, they ranked all 32 secondaries in the NFL heading into the season. Not surprisingly, the Raiders came in very low on the list, ranking at No. 30. Here is what the site had to say about the secondary:
Shelley was a much-needed addition to the unit, as no other returning player earned a grade above 61.3 in coverage last year. The Raiders drafted cornerback Jakorian Bennett and safety Christopher Smith on Day 3 of the draft, but the team will need some much better play from the individual pieces if they want to improve upon their 31st-place finish in expected points added (EPA) allowed per play last season.
The Raiders did add a few veterans this offseason (Duke Shelley, David Long Jr., and Marcus Epps) to bolster the unit. But they are really relying on youth. They need a few of their young players to step up and make a leap in 2023 in order to not become the Achilles heel of the defense.
If the Raiders wind up struggling again on defense in 2023, expect it to be due to the inexperience of the secondary. But if they are suddenly better than expected, the Raiders might just be okay on that side of the ball.
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