Heading into the 2025 season, the Las Vegas Raiders‘ defense is going to look very different. From Nate Hobbs to Robert Spillane and Tre’Von Moehrig, a few stalwarts from the last couple of seasons have moved on in free agency.
However, the Raiders did still bring in a few players as well. Fortunately, Las Vegas was able to retain Patrick Graham this offseason, so there will still be some consistency within the unit in terms of direction and overall scheme. However, things are undoubtedly going to look different from a personnel standpoint.
The secondary is the area of the unit that’s seen the most change this offseason. Let’s take a closer look at what the Raiders gained and lost there in free agency and how different they’ll play defense in 2025.
What did the Raiders lose in the secondary?
Over the past couple of years, Hobbs and Moehrig have made strong pushes to be considered the best players on the Raiders defense. Now, they’re both gone.
The biggest issue with Hobbs leaving is the lack of a nickel corner. In the NFL, finding a nickel corner can be challenging, but Hobbs provided the Raiders with an exceptional one. Hobbs is concluding his tenure with the Raiders on a positive note, having enjoyed one of his finest seasons in Las Vegas in 2024. Hobbs allowed a 64.7-percent completion rate, gave up two touchdowns, and allowed a passer rating of just 87.2 when targeted.
As for Moehrig, he’s never made a huge impact in pass defense, but he took some big strides against the run in 2024. He had a career-high 104 tackles and only missed eight through the whole year. Making 104/112 tackle attempts is impressive, and it’s exactly what you’d want out of your last line of defense at safety. He was able to make an impact in coverage as well, with a career-high 10 pass deflections and two interceptions to boot.
Considering everything, 2024 stands out as Moehrig’s finest season in the league. As the Raiders second-round pick four years ago, he became exactly what they wanted him to. One could make the same argument about Hobbs.
Unfortunately, both are now gone. So how did the Raiders replace them?
What did the Raiders gain in the secondary?
Although it stings a little to lose those two, the Raiders are still getting some value in the secondary. Jeremy Chinn is a different style of safety than Moehrig, but he can bring it in run defense as well.
Chinn had 117 tackles with the Washington Commanders last year, tying his career high. What’s even more impressive is that he only missed seven tackles on the year. His 5.6 percent missed-tackle rate was the lowest in his five-year career.
Now, unfortunately, in Chinn, the Raiders aren’t going to get the most out of him in pass coverage. In 2024, he allowed a career-high 73.6 percent of passes thrown his way. Chinn gave up seven receiving touchdowns and allowed a 131.2 passer rating on balls thrown his way. He was the last resort on a defense that struggled throughout the year, but you can’t deny that these are some ugly numbers.
At cornerback, things look a little more appealing, albeit not much in terms of pass coverage. Lonnie Johnson Jr. only held down a special teams role in 2024, but he’s shown flashes of outstanding cornerback play and has held down sizeable roles in the league before. At the least, he could be a solid depth option.
He’s not the only depth signing the Raiders brought in at the position. Las Vegas also signed Eric Stokes, who spent the first four years of his career with the Green Bay Packers. Stokes had a whopping 14 pass deflections in his rookie year but hasn’t done much since then.
Some final words…
In summary, the secondary will be comparable to last year. However, there is reason to be alarmed, at least for now. Chinn can replace Moehrig’s run defense in Las Vegas, but he is clearly weaker at pass coverage. Las Vegas also lost Nate Hobbs and was unable to match his production with either of their two depth additions.
In any case, it may be some time before the Raiders return to contention. So, by 2025, the role may not be as important. Hobbs and Moehrig also received more compensation than the Raiders were willing to give. While the draft may always change things, it’s difficult to be overly optimistic about this team heading into the season.
*Top Photo: AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps
The LB Search Continues: Pete Carroll, Las Vegas Raiders Miss Christian Elliss