NFL Oakland Raiders

Oakland Raiders must sign one more cornerback

Tracy Porter

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Tracy Porter really needs a partner.

The Oakland Raiders signed the former New Orleans Saints‘ hero last week, but they still don’t have the other half of the cornerback duo. There are other cornerbacks on the roster who could technically play that spot and it is possible the Raiders draft Dee Milliner with the third overall pick. However, it is not really in Oakland’s best interest to make either of those two moves.

Milliner is clearly the best cornerback in the draft class, but the Raiders have so many other holes they need to fill, many of which don’t have the plethora of veteran options on the open market that exists at cornerback. The other cornerbacks on the roster are young, inexperienced or don’t have the talent to be a starting cornerback in the NFL. Oakland tried their young guys in the final weeks of the 2012 season and they just didn’t work out.

Looking at the cornerbacks on the free agent market is a lesson in how quickly teams are willing to cast aside solid starters due to money concerns. Currently without  a team are players like Quentin Jammer and Marcus Trufant, both of whom still have a couple of good years left in them. Then there are players like Chris Carr or Stanford Routt, who I am sure would love to return to the Bay Area and help return the Raiders to their former glory.

The point is Oakland has plenty of veteran options who are capable of being a starter cornerback in this league. That is not true of many of the other holes on this version of the Raiders’ roster, which Reggie McKenzie has to fix in the next three months. If the general manager surveyed the landscape, he would find another cornerback before it’s too late.

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