Last season, the Las Vegas Raiders were middle-of-the-road for passing defenses, allowing opposing quarterbacks to throw for 216.2 yards per game in 2024.
However, their cornerback room has seen some changes this offseason that could impact their performance in the future.
Nate Hobbs, who played 49% of Las Vegas' defensive snaps in 2024, signed a four-year, $48 million deal with the Green Bay Packers, and Jack Jones, who played 91.3% of their defensive snaps, is still on the market.
The Raiders did sign former Packers cornerback Eric Stokes and selected Iowa State cornerback Darien Porter in the third round of the 2025 NFL draft to counteract the losses, but it may not be enough.
If the season were to start today, Darnay Holmes would likely be the team's starting slot cornerback, and that's not an ideal situation. Last year, Pro Football Focus gave him a 49.5 coverage grade, ranking him 185th out of 222 NFL cornerbacks.
With Las Vegas still having a decent chunk of cap space still available, they could consider adding another veteran before the year starts, and on Saturday, Raiders Wire's Levi Damien suggested that they could sign free-agent cornerback Mike Hilton.
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Hilton, 31, played collegiately at Ole Miss from 2012-15, earning Second-team All-SEC honors in his final season with the Rebels.
The cornerback signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2016 and had another quick stint with the New England Patriots that year before catching on with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Over four years in Pittsburgh, Hilton appeared in 59 games (starting 20) and recorded 237 tackles (30 for a loss), 32 passes defensed, 23 quarterback hits, 9.5 sacks, seven interceptions, five fumbles recovered and three forced fumbles.
Hilton signed a four-year, $24 million deal with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2021 and went on to play 64 games (starting 36) and record 283 tackles (36 for a loss), 24 passes defensed, nine quarterback hits, six interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovered.
PFF gave Hilton a 68.5 coverage grade in 2024, ranking him 55th, and they also ranked him as the top cornerback against the run with a 91.7 run-defense grade.
Bringing in Hilton to start over Holmes in the slot could make a big difference, especially for a defense that will have to take on Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert twice in 2025.
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