After being relatively inactive in free agency, the Raiders will be relying on a handful of young defensive players next season.
While the Las Vegas Raiders made a handful of signings during the first wave of free agency, the bigger story surrounding the Silver and Black this week is the players the defense lost.
Tre’von Moehrig, Robert Spillane and Nate Hobbs were all starters and key contributors for the Raiders over the last couple of seasons. But Moehrig is now in Carolina, Spillane bolted for New England and Hobbs left for Green Bay. So, Las Vegas’ first-string defense will look a lot different in 2025 and will need several younger players on the roster to step up.
Cornerback: Jakorian Bennett
While Bennett has primarily been an outside corner in the pros, he may have to take over some of the slot coverage duties with Hobbs no longer in the picture. The Maryland product does have some experience playing on the inside, recording over 225 snaps over the slot in college, per Pro Football Focus. Also, he has the skill set to play some nickel occasionally if the other team’s top wideout primarily lines up in the slot.
But beyond taking on a bigger role with some inside coverage responsibilities, Bennett has a great opportunity to step up and become the defense’s No. 1 corner this season with how the roster is currently constructed. Las Vegas has opted not to sign in a veteran during free agency to fill that role, giving the third-year pro a chance to become the position group’s alpha.
He made plenty of strides in year two, but Bennett now has to take another step forward during the 2025 campaign.
Safety: Isaiah Pola-Mao
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Las Vegas brought in Jeremy Chinn to help offset the loss of Moehrig on the back end of the defense. However, Marcus Epps remains unsigned and the Raiders are very young at safety. Of the returning players at the position, Pola-Mao has the most career starts with just 14, all of which came last season.
For the first time in the fourth-year pro’s career, he’ll walk into training camp as a starter. That alone means he needs to step up in 2025, and Pola-Mao will carry a big responsibility in making sure Moehrig’s and Epps’ absences aren’t felt from a leadership perspective. Those two took command of the secondary in the past, and Patrick Graham will likely expect those duties to fall on the Raiders’ longest-tenured defensive back.
Similar to Bennett, Pola-Mao showed growth last year, but a larger weight will be placed on his shoulders moving forward.
Linebacker: Amari Burney
With Spillane leaving for a big pay raise with the Patriots and Divine Deablo heading to Atlanta, Las Vegas will have two new starting linebackers next fall. Granted, the front office signed Elandon Roberts to help fill one of those voids, but the defense needs a coverage backer badly.
It’s time for Burney — a former defensive back in college — to step into that role and become the player the unit needs. The good news is that he got playing time down the stretch of last season and showed some promise. However, he’s entering the “make-or-break” year of his career as a three-year pro and is currently projected to see a dramatically increased role with only one start under his belt so far.
That being said, the Raiders do have options if Burney doesn’t step up. Last year’s rookies, Tommy Eichenberg and Amari Gainer, will compete for the starting spot. Not to mention that Las Vegas will likely use a draft pick on a backer next month. But right now, it feels like the job is the 2023 sixth-round pick’s to lose.