Former Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Rock Ya-Sin proved to have a standout campaign in 2022, but it wasn’t enough for team brass to keep him around. Will general manager Dave Ziegler and Co. regret it? There’s certainly a case to be made, especially when you look at how thin the cornerback room was last year. On the other hand, this offseason was fruitful in terms of reloading at the position.
As most Raiders fans are aware by now, Ya-Sin agreed to join the Baltimore Ravens this offseason. A team currently on the upswing and expected to be a viable playoff contender, Ya-Sin has an opportunity to do some damage in the AFC North. That being said, we posed the following question to our readers: will the Raiders regret not bringing back Ya-Sin? There were some interesting responses, but the overwhelming majority aren’t too concerned.
Will the #Raiders regret not bringing back CB Rock Ya-Sin?
— RaiderRamble.com™ (@TheRaiderRamble) May 4, 2023
Rock Ya-Sin was a luxury that the Raiders didn’t necessarily need anymore…
It might not appear so to the casual observer, but the Raiders’ cornerback room is a solid one at the moment. Even without Ya-Sin, defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has a nice collection of pieces he can play with in Year 2. Nate Hobbs, if 100 percent healthy, still has unfulfilled potential. You then add Duke Shelley and David Long, with Amik Robertson and Brandon Facyson rounding out the group; that’s a serviceable, if not underrated, unit.
Robertson, in particular, is flying under the radar. As we pointed out recently, Robertson was dependable last year, appearing in all 17 regular-season games while recording career highs across the board. Our own Alex Monfreda highlighted that Long was responsible for just one completion behind the line of scrimmage last season. Perhaps, Graham intends on rolling Hobbs to the outside, taking advantage of Long’s abilities inside. Of course, this is just speculation.
As far as Ya-Sin’s departure, Matt Holder of Silver and Black Pride essentially referred to it as a wash. The Indianapolis Colts, who received Yannick Ngakoue for Ya-Sin, parted ways with the vaunted pass-rusher, citing similar concerns that the Raiders once had.
In the end, we can draw the potential conclusion that the financial commitment for Ya-Sin simply didn’t add up. Perhaps the underrated moves made by Dave Ziegler with regard to the cornerback position will pay dividends.
*Top Photo: Chris Unger/Getty Images
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