The Las Vegas Raiders have major concerns in the cornerbacks room going into Week 1, but there is a free-agent safety who could help their situation.
That free-agent safety is Jabrill Peppers, who was shockingly released by the New England Patriots recently. Peppers went from projected starter to jobless in the blink of an eye.
In the wake of Peppers' release, AtoZ Sports' Kyle Crabbs believes the Raiders are one of the best potential fits for the former first-round pick in free agency.
"Jabrill Peppers and Jeremy Chinn and Isaiah Pola-Mao in the same safety room? If you want versatility, you’ve come to the right place. The Raiders simply need floor and ceiling raisers on the defensive side of the football," Crabbs wrote.
"With the abrupt ending to the Christian Wilkins tenure in Las Vegas, the Raiders are missing some needle-moving upside on that side of the football. Peppers is about as strong an add as you can find on the eve of the season."
So, how could a safety help the Raiders' cornerbacks room?
Well, having Peppers, who is a solid starter, would allow the Raiders to deploy Jeremy Chinn in the slot full time instead of Darnay Holmes.
Chinn would definitely be an improvement over Holmes, who surrendered a 75% completion rate and 105.3 passer rating when targeted last season.
Granted, Chinn struggled in pass coverage last season, also, but he has historically been better than Holmes in that area.
It remains to be seen what Peppers will command in free agency, but the Raiders are well-equipped to afford whatever it is. Over the Cap has Las Vegas sitting with $26 million in cap space entering Week 1.
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