After agreeing to terms with four players on Day 1 of the legal tampering period, Pete Carroll and John Spytek picked up where they left off in Day 2. This time, the duo added cornerback Eric Stokes to the roster; a former first-round pick of the Green Bay Packers.
Stokes appeared in all 17 contests this past season, bouncing back from playing a combined 11 games through his ’22 and ’23 campaigns. The 29th-overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft failed to record any amount of pass breakups throughout his ’24 season, though he did manage to total six stops on passing downs; the third-most among all defensive backs on Green Bay’s roster.
Against the run, Stokes wasn’t much better. With a grade of 50.8 on running downs via Pro Football Focus, the 26-year-old finished his season as the second-lowest graded defensive back against the run.
It’ll be up to Patrick Graham to get the most out of Stokes, who’s certainly a talented young player, just as Graham did with Jakorian Bennett who fits that same description.
In the meantime, Stokes will provide depth to a cornerback room full of youth. He’ll likely compete with Decamerion Richardson for the first rotational role on the outside.
Note: Stokes is not the replacement for Nate Hobbs. The 6-foot-1 corner is a boundary corner, totaling 517 snaps on the outside as opposed to his 12 in the slot.
What’s next for Pete Carroll, John Spytek and the Las Vegas Raiders?
Truth be told, that’s an impossible question to answer. It does seem the team is confident in their current cornerback group, however.
And they should be.
Patrick Graham has been able to do great things with the duo of Jakorian Bennett and Jack Jones. While Jones has been put into the crosshairs by Raider Nation for giving up his fair share of big plays, it’s the nature of the ‘ballhawk’ cornerback. He’s part of the cornerback group that trades lockdown coverage for turnovers; you might think of Trevon Diggs or Marcus Peters, in recent years.
A move at wide receiver is one that makes the most sense going forward. Tyler Lockett is the first name to come to mind for obvious reasons, but it’s a playmaker who can make things happen that the Raiders need the most. Somewhat of a Dionte Johnson, K.J. Osborn type.
Or, if Las Vegas is feeling bold enough, a Stefon Diggs, Amari Cooper reunion would truly do Sin City wonders.
Perhaps the savvy veteran Brandin Cooks is another viable option, though it would be far from a long-term solution.
*Top Photo: Jeffrey Phelps/ AP Photo
Las Vegas Raiders Free Agency: Day 1 Of Legal Tampering Recap + Grades