The Las Vegas Raiders need to prioritize fixing their secondary; maybe James Bradberry, among others, could help in 2023?
Year in and year out, the Raiders’ defense remains a weakness. Coordinator after coordinator has tried to fix the issue, but with little success over the last two decades, it feels like a curse has been placed on the unit. Some questionable play at cornerback last year has raised eyebrows across the fanbase as well. With that in mind, here are three free agent cornerbacks that could make a difference in 2023.
3 Cornerbacks That The Raiders Should Target
Option No. 1: James Bradberry
James Bradberry has been one of the better cornerbacks in the league for some time now. Bradberry has made headlines for the wrong reasons recently after his holding penalty in the Super Bowl. Still, he’ll be one of the best candidates for any position as we enter free agency. In fact, even The Draft Network recently ranked the Raiders as one of their best fits for Bradberry.
The former New York Giant allowed a completion percentage of just over 45 percent when targeted, which is very impressive. He also started every game while allowing just 382 yards throughout the season, the lowest amount he’s allowed since 2018. Bradberry is beginning to age, as he’ll enter his 30s next year. He may not be the best option as a CB1 anymore, but he’s proven himself to be reliable and able to adjust throughout his career. James would be a terrific signing for Las Vegas.
Option No. 2: Jamel Dean
Jamel Dean might be the most underrated cornerback in the entire league. Dean hasn’t made a name for himself on the national level yet, but his career has been impressive. After an incredible year in 2021, Dean followed that up with another outstanding season last year. In 2022, Dean allowed a completion percentage of just over 55 percent when targeted and just 318 air yards.
Dean has actually performed at the level of his teammate Carlton Davis in recent years and was arguably more important for Tampa Bay last year. With big names like Bradberry and Patrick Peterson and such, a player like Dean might just fly under the radar during free agency. If Las Vegas can pick him up, it would be one of the better steals of the entire offseason.
Option No. 3: Jonathan Jones
Jonathan Jones is another underrated name. There are some players on the market this spring who have a more complete resume than Jones, like Peterson and even Rock Ya-Sin, yet the Raiders may get more use out of Jones anyway.
Through the first 10 weeks of the 2022 season, Pro Football Focus gave Jones an 82.1 coverage grade, good for sixth among all cornerbacks. Jones is smaller in stature at just 5’10”, so he will struggle at times against bigger receivers. Still, Jonathan has proven to be useful at both outside and slot corner, and his versatility would be very helpful on a Raiders’ defense that lacks it.
*Top Photo: National Football League
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