Nobody should be shocked about this, but it seems like the Las Vegas Raiders have a big problem at cornerback.
On Thursday, head coach Pete Carroll addressed the media and touched on the team's situation at cornerback, where there has been competition all offseason.
Carroll revealed the Raiders still don't have a set starter opposite Eric Stokes, who has seized the CB1 role. Instead, "a number of guys" will get snaps in Week 1 against the New England Patriots.
"We've got really good competition over there on the other side and we'll see how that works out by the end of the week, we'll keep it going," Carroll said. "A number of guys will play in the game. You'll see a lot of guys will be rolling through there."
Jesse Merrick of the Silver & Black Sports Network believes that the majority of the snaps will go to rookie Darien Porter and third-year corner Kyu Blu Kelly.
As for 2024 fourth-round pick Decamerion Richardson, Merrick says he's "not sure how much Decamerion Richardson figures in there."
The fact that the Raiders still haven't decided who is starting across from Stokes with a little over a week to go before the start of the season is troubling because it suggests nobody has been able to play well enough to seize the role.
Adding to that concern, Stokes is anything but a sure thing to be sufficient on the other side given what we've seen from him in his career. The same can certainly be said for Darnay Holmes, who is expected to be the top slot cornerback (Holmes was listed in that spot on the team's last unofficial depth chart).
What makes this situation even more frustrating is the fact that the Raiders gave up on Jakorian Bennett, who entered the offseason as the team's top cornerback but never seemed to fit with the new coaching staff despite having a breakout 2024 season.
Not only did Bennett put together a strong preseason in Philly, it also looks like he has a chance to start.
In two preseason contests, Bennett posted a Pro Football Focus coverage grade of 86.2 and gave up a completion rate of 62.5% and a passer rating of 73.4. Bear in mind, Bennett was brand new to Philly's defense, also.
Competing in the AFC West is difficult by default because of matchups against guys like Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and Bo Nix, but things will be exponentially harder if Las Vegas struggles mightily in coverage.
MORE LAS VEGAS RAIDERS NEWS
Raiders awarded one of the preseason sacks leaders from waivers
Amari Cooper talks 'unfinished business,' fears about his possible decline
Kenny Pickett of cusp of tying NFL record after trade to Raiders