Sportsnaut
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll gave an overview of the roster and shared some tidbits about potential roles on both sides of the ball. The team made a notable claim at one of its weakest positions. Raiders Daily breaks down what you could see against the New England Patriots in Week 1.
On Thursday, head coach Pete Carroll expressed excitement for his young cornerback group and provided insight on the pecking order. He praised Eric Stokes, who will be the lead cornerback, and said that multiple players will take snaps on the opposite boundary.
“(Eric) Stokes has done a really good, solid job of jumping in and owning his spot,” Carroll said.
“We’ve got really good competition over there on the other side. We’ll see how that works out by the end of the week. We’ll keep it going. A number of guys will play in the game. A number of guys will be rolling through there.”
With Stokes atop the depth chart, several players took reps as the No. 2 cornerback position through the preseason.
Rookie third-rounder Darien Porter was the front-runner for the spot through mandatory minicamp. At training camp, Decamerion Richardson pushed for the role, and Kyu Blu Kelly saw action with the starters in recent weeks.
So, Carroll will continue to evaluate the open position with a rotation of players who could complement Stokes on the outside.
The New England Patriots have one high-level receiver in Stefon Diggs, who’s coming off a torn ACL from less than a year ago. This may be Carroll’s way of testing a trio of young cornerbacks before they face stronger receiver groups.
Read More: Raiders Daily: Secondary Faces Prove-It Year, Jakobi Meyers Trade Ultimatum Rejected
Carroll talked extensively about Amari Cooper‘s fit within the offense. He dropped a hint about how the team plans to use him.
“He’s big and strong, runs fantastic routes and has always been a playmaker. We thought a chance to add a guy like that with the experience really to help our young guys might really suit us well. For Dont’e on the outside, they’ll be doing a lot of the same stuff. I think Amari’s way can affect him and help him come along.”
While some may be concerned that Cooper will take snaps away from offseason standout Dont’e Thornton Jr., it’s likely that the two wideouts will be on the field at the same time with Jakobi Meyers (pending his contract situation) in the slot. Tre Tucker is set to be the other outside wideout along with Cooper and Thornton.
Raiders’ receivers must show a level of selflessness, with Cooper being the most accomplished of the group. Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly can go four deep with his receivers as complements to All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers while sprinkling in third-year tight end Michael Mayer into the game plans....
