The Las Vegas Raiders have turned over their cornerback room this offseason, adding three free agents to the mix.
As of right now, new additions Duke Shelley and David Long Jr. are slated to start outside in Vegas next season.
However, the Raiders are now seen as a likely landing spot for three-time Pro Bowler Marcus Peters.
‘The Raiders seem likely to sign veteran cornerback Marcus Peters before training camp. Peters came in for a visit last month and, according to league and team sources, the two sides have stayed in touch as Peters tests the market,” Vic Tafur of The Athletic reported on Wednesday.
In addition to Shelley and Long Jr., the Raiders brought back Brandon Facyson in free agency. He played for the team back in 2021 before suiting up with the Indianapolis Colts last season.
None of these three provide the same track record of success as Peters. The former Washington star has made three trips to the Pro Bowl and earned two All-Pro honors since the Kansas City Chiefs made him a first-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. He was previously seen as one of the best ball hawks in the entire NFL after recording a whopping 27 interceptions from 2015-19.
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Las Vegas Raiders likely to fortify secondary with Marcus Peters
Surprisingly still on the NFL free agent market, Peters would immediately become the Raiders’ top cornerback should they sign the 30-year-old veteran.
With that said, he did struggle in 2022 after missing the entire previous season with a torn ACL. Peters’ all-around performance wasn’t comparable to earlier in his career.
- Marcus Peters stats (2022): 47 tackles, 6 passes defended, 1 INT, 113.7 QB rating allowed
For the sake of comparison, Peters gave up a mere 78.0 QB rating with the Baltimore Ravens back in 2020 before suffering the aforementioned ACL injury.
Two holdovers from the Las Vegas Raiders’ cornerback group last season, Amik Robertson and Nate Hobbs, also struggled in coverage. Robertson yielded a 96.2 QB rating when targeted while Hobbs gave up an eye-opening 75.3 completion percentage.
For Peters, signing with the Raiders would be a homecoming of sorts. He grew up in Oakland as a Raiders fan.