Raiders training camp preview: Young secondary needs to develop

The Raiders are counting on Pete Carroll’s successful track record of developing cornerbacks and safeties to mold a young and largely unproven secondary into a reliable group.

Specifically at cornerback, where there’s much more promise and potential than proven commodities.

Here’s a preview of the secondary before the team opens training camp Wednesday at its Henderson practice facility:

In the mix

CB: Eric Stokes, Darien Porter, Jakorian Bennett, Decamerion Richardson, Mello Dotson, John Humphrey, Darnay Holmes, Sam Webb, Kyu Blu Kelly, Greedy Vance

S: Jeremy Chinn, Isaiah Pola-Mao, Lonnie Johnson Jr., Thomas Harper, Trey Taylor, Chris Smith II, Hudson Clark

2024 performance

Of the Raiders’ cornerbacks, only Bennett, Richardson and Holmes played significant snaps with the club last year. Bennett was playing solid football before succumbing to multiple shoulder injuries. He was sidelined for the last seven games. Richardson, his replacement, endured an up-and-down rookie season but flashed some projectable skills. Holmes played 298 snaps, mostly in the slot. Stokes played last season in Green Bay, where he was a 2021 first-round pick, and came up with 41 tackles in 17 games, including seven starts.

Pola-Mao replaced an injured Marcus Epps and played a career-high 954 defensive snaps while coming up with 89 tackles. The performance earned him a two-year contract. Harper played 198 defensive snaps for the Raiders last year as a rookie. Chinn played last year in Washington, where he totaled 117 tackles, two fumble recoveries and an interception. The Raiders signed him to a two-year deal to replace Tre’von Moehrig. Johnson appeared in 15 games in Carolina last year, coming up with seven tackles.

Potential camp battles

Porter, a rookie from Iowa State, and Stokes were getting the bulk of the first-team cornerback reps during minicamp and offseason team activity practices. They both fit the long, lean physical profiles that Carroll prioritizes in cornerbacks. But don’t sleep on Bennett, who should benefit now that he’s working with two healthy shoulders. He isn’t about to surrender his starting job without a fight. Richardson suffered through some ups and downs as a rookie, but like Stokes and Porter, his length and physicality fit perfectly in Carroll’s scheme.

The Raiders are set with Pola-Mao and Chinn as their starting safeties, but with Chinn sliding down to slot cornerback when the club plays in nickel and dime packages, who among Johnson, Harper, Taylor and Smith is best capable of replacing Chinn at safety?

Breakout candidate

It was hard not to read anything into Porter’s usage during OTAs and minicamp. The Raiders put him on the fast track. And why not? He’s got legit skills and the perfect physical makeup to thrive in Carroll’s defense.

Area of concern

For all the promise in the cornerback room, it’s mostly untapped potential or, in Stokes’ case, has been held back by injuries. The Raiders need this group to get settled in as quickly as possible. But will it?

What they are saying

“He’s very sure of himself because he puts in the work. Self-confidence comes from preparation; it’s not a self-esteem thing or self-talk thing. When you’re prepared, you’re really, really confident. That’s what I see from him. And he’s been a sponge in terms of learning how we want to do things, and then all the physical attributes, but all 32 teams know about that. The speed, the size, physicality, ability to tackle, nose for the ball. So, I mean, it’s all been positive there.” — Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham on Chinn

Best-case scenario

If Porter is as advertised, Stokes stays healthy and Bennett and Richardson prove to be capable rotational players, the Raiders will field a young, deep, promising group of cornerbacks that can grow and develop throughout the season. Provided Chinn and Pola-Mao stay healthy, and one of the reserve safeties proves he can be a reliable rotational player, the Raiders will field a capable group of safeties.

Worst-case scenario

Historically, Carroll has shown he can quickly get young, unproven cornerbacks up to speed. It’s paramount that he’s able to do that in his first season with the Raiders. If not, it’s going to be a struggle on the back end of the club’s defense.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.