Raiders report: Team’s ‘X-men’ embrace different roles on defense

Raiders safety Isaiah Pola-Mao isn’t concerned with where he’s asked to line up by defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.

Pola-Mao just wants to be on the field and help his team win.

“We like to call ourselves X-men,” he said. “No matter where we are, we’re just Xs on the field. We’re interchangeable.”

A slight shift in Pola-Mao’s alignment appears to have made a significant difference over the last two games, however.

The 26-year-old lined up near the line of scrimmage for 31 plays in the Raiders’ loss to the Jaguars on Sunday. He did the same thing for 22 snaps in his team’s previous game against the Chiefs.

Pola-Mao was near the line of scrimmage for just 40 plays in the Raiders’ first six games.

“It allows me to get close to the line where I can make more plays, so I like that part of it,” Pola-Mao said. “But I like to be versatile and I pride myself on that. I try to be a team player in every way I can and do whatever I’m asked. If they want me close to the line, I love it just like I love every opportunity I get in the post.”

Pola-Mao has been successful in his new spot.

His last two games have been his two highest-graded performances by the website Pro Football Focus since the Raiders’ Week 1 win over the Patriots.

Graham appreciates that Pola-Mao has succeeded in several different roles since joining the team as an undrafted free agent out of USC in 2022.

“Isaiah has been consistent since we had him four years ago, in terms of he’s played linebacker for us before, he’s played down safety, he’s played post safety,” Graham said. “He prides himself on being able to do a lot of different roles.”

Pola-Mao may stay closer to the line of scrimmage more often once safety Lonnie Johnson Jr. gets healthy. Johnson broke his fibula in August but has been practicing with the Raiders and is nearing a return.

“That will make all of our jobs easier,” said Pola-Mao, who was limited in Tuesday’s practice by a hip injury.

Pola-Mao wasn’t the only defensive back to take on a new or expanded role against the Jaguars. Graham used the Raiders’ bye week to tweak some things on the back end.

Rookie third-round pick Darien Porter played every snap at corner and appears to have taken the starting job from Bishop Gorman alum Kyu Blu Kelly.

“I thought (Porter) did a good job in terms of staying on top, in terms of the vertical passing game,” Graham said. “He was competitive on some of the lower stuff and some of the man situations that we had. But he’s a rookie that’s out there working hard and there’s room for improvement, and he’s going to just keep working on that.”

Tristin McCollum also played 70 percent of the Raiders’ defensive snaps against the Jaguars in his first significant action of the season. He took over the nickel role from veteran Darnay Holmes, who was inactive Sunday.

“Getting fully adjusted to the defense and actually putting myself to the test as opposed to just practice reps felt good,” McCollum said. “It’s so valuable and it only gets better from here.”

Undrafted rookie cornerback Greedy Vance made his NFL debut against the Jaguars. He played 13 defensive snaps, with most of them coming on third down.

Injury report

Defensive tackle Adam Butler popped up on the Raiders’ injury report Tuesday with a back injury he’s been dealing with for several weeks.

Butler was listed as limited.

Tight end Brock Bowers, who returned Sunday after missing three games with a knee injury, was a full participant in Tuesday’s practice despite dealing with a toe injury.

Dealing with reality

Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has received criticism for not getting the ball to rookie running back Ashton Jeanty enough.

Jeanty, the No. 6 overall pick in April’s draft, is averaging 15.5 carries and 3.1 targets per game as a rookie. Kelly said Tuesday he’s most concerned with doing what will help the Raiders win that week’s game.

“Maybe some fantasy people are a little disturbed, but we’re not coaching for fantasy people, so we’re just trying to win games,” Kelly said. “He’s our number one back and when we’re running the ball, he’s running the football. I think you saw him a little bit in the pass game the other day and he’s starting to evolve in that and (we’re) trying to get him more involved in that way. So, he’s continuing to grow. He’s doing a heck of a job, really excited that we have him.”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.