The Las Vegas Raiders will field a new-look cornerback room in 2025. The team let Nate Hobbs walk in free agency and also moved on from Jack Jones, and added Eric Stokes through free agency and Darien Porter in Round 3 of the draft.
Though Stokes and Porter will receive opportunities to earn starting spots, it would be wise for general manager John Spytek to acquire another boundary corner. Jakorian Bennett, who had a solid 2024 campaign, will be one of the starting corners on Patrick Graham’s defense in 2025, but the rest is mostly unknown.
There are still a few reliable defensive backs on the free agency and trade market. CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin predicts Las Vegas will pull off a blockbuster trade for Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
The Dolphins and Ramsey mutually agreed on pursuing a breakup in April, but the star corner has yet to be moved, though he is expected to be dealt sooner rather than later.
The Raiders could be comfortable with Stokes or Porter as the starting corner opposite Bennett, but if the team can trade for Ramsey, they absolutely should. The veteran didn’t have a fantastic 2024 campaign, but he is still one of the better corners in football and has been pretty durable over the last few years, playing all 17 games in two of the last three seasons.
Las Vegas has the resources necessary to add Ramsey from Miami, as they have the cap space to endure his contract and also have the draft capital the Dolphins are seeking, which is likely a late Day 2 or early Day 3 pick.
In order to make a playoff leap in 2025, the Raiders will need their defense to reach another level. Ramsey is no longer an elite shutdown corner, but the seven-time Pro Bowler would immediately bolster one of the weakest areas on Pete Carroll’s roster and serve as a No.1 corner for Las Vegas.
