The Las Vegas Raiders have spent the entire offseason stocking the defensive backfield up. With the recent addition of Prince Amukamara, they can now play matchup football.
The #Raiders have reportedly signed CB Prince Amukamara, who was the #Bears 4th most valuable player in 2019, per PFF WAR 👀
He is only a year removed from a career high overall grade (81.0) and coverage grade (77.1) in 2018 💪 pic.twitter.com/RLS4ClMMVd
— PFF Las Vegas Raiders (@PFF_Raiders) May 13, 2020
Crowded Raiders Secondary
The Raiders plan on starting Trayvon Mullen out wide, and selected Damon Arnette with the 19th pick in the draft. Isaiah Johnson, last years fourth round pick is returning from the injured reserve list. Amik Robertson, the 2020 fourth round pick is looking to come in and work for greatness. Keisean Nixon, Nevin Lawson, and Lamarcus Joyner should be battling in the slot. On the other hand Amukamara can come in and challenge for a starting spot right away.
The Raiders have an aviary, a plethora of young ballhawks in the making. What they have been lacking since the retirement of the great Charles Woodson is experience. Amukamara has that in spades. The ten year veteran was a Super Bowl champion as a rookie with the 2011 Giants. Also, he has played for Steve Spagnuolo, Perry Fewell, Todd Wash, Vic Fangio and Chuck Pagano. For those who don’t recognize the names, they are a who’s who of defensive coordinators.
Related: Trayvon Mullen Is Set to Become Raiders Next Great Cornerback
The Prince shall lead
Amukamara, will be 31 by the start of the season, but he will be just a year removed from his best season. He plays best up in man press, but is also a very capable zone cover as well. He had his best season while playing in Fangio’s read and react attacking style of defense.
The experience factor alone will assist all of the young corners on the roster, and help them navigate the season and prepare for the week-to-week grind. Amukamara can step in day one and push to be the number one guy for this defense. In a perfect scenario, he would be 1b. to Mullen’s 1a. while affording Arnette, Johnson, and Robertson the luxury of matchup roles.
Mullen is a big play waiting to happen. Many times last season Mullen was a millisecond away from making a play on the football. The Raiders will look upon him to be a big component of their defense. Amukamara could be as beneficial to Mullen as Eric Allen was to (Charles) Woodson.
Matchup Football
“Styles make fights,” is one of the time honored boxing cliches. In a copycat league, which is what the NFL is, teams are going to be seeking to emulate the reigning Super Bowl Champions Kansas City Chiefs. A vertical spread balanced offense, a complimentary running game, and a quarterback who can make plays outside of playcalls.
Having the tools to matchup with different types of wide receivers will elevate the defenses opportunities for success. Arnette is an absolute dog, but being able to put him on a No. 3 option is going to help him out tremendously. Being able to assign coverage schemes based on depth chart, height, speed or route running abilities while be huge. That is exactly what the addition of Amukamara can do for the Raiders.
The younger guys won’t have to be in prime time roles. They can be secondary additions and good depth pieces. Amukamara offers a massive amount of flexibility and the absolute best of both worlds. If the young guns are up to the task, the Raiders have the luxury of Amukamara as a depth piece.
Final Thoughts
Amukamara is the perfect corner to help give the quarterbacks insight into the defenses they are going up against. What he can add to the quarterbacks preparation during four of six divisional games could be a huge contribution. It’s a perfect situation for a one-year flyer on an older corner still looking to prove he belongs.
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Top Photo: Rob Leiter/Getty Images
