Raiders Are Still Sorting Out Cornerbacks, Offensive Line

The Las Vegas Raiders have a lot of work to do to get back on track and start winning again, and some of that work is focused on the cornerbacks and the offensive line. Levi Edwards of Raiders.com addressed what’s happening in his latest mailbag as players and bodies continue to be shuffled around. 

Start with the cornerbacks. Masses shot out of the gate in this particular positional battle to play opposite Eric Stokes, as he had two interceptions early and allowed a completion percentage of 47.8 percent after that. 

But Porter has returned from an injury, and he’s “held his own,” according to Edwards. Specifically, he’s allowed a completion percentage of just 30.8 percent, and he has five pass deflections, which is second only to Masses. 

Both cornerbacks were badly exposed against the New England Patriots, though, and Edwards doesn’t think either corner has done enough to separate in the competition. Kubiak clearly believes in both of them, although the reality is that he really doesn’t have much choice at this point. 

The coach talks about the need to have “thick skin,” as mistakes are going to be instantly identified and replayed. That’s the reality of life at those positions, and the only choice is to move on and keep competing — for now, anyway. 

The situation at offensive line is analogous to at least some extent. The Raiders replaced guard Jackson Powers-Johnson with Caleb Rogers, so the spotlight shifted over to Powers-Johnson. 

But Kubiak thinks it should be more about what Rogers did to earn the job. The two guards have been competing since training camp, and once again this is a situation where two evenly-matched young players are trying to differentiate themselves and stand out. 

Statistically speaking, Rogers has been playing well, according to Edwards. Rogers is holding off pressure longer, according to an advanced stat the writer used, but he hasn’t been as good in the run game, and Rogers has also allowed. slighly higher percentage of pressures. 

For Kubiak, this is all about watching film right now. He’s a grinder, and the Raiders are having these kinds of battles up and down the roster as they try to rebuild. 

The downside is that what shows up on the field isn’t always good. Occasionally players get exposed, and it’s not pretty, especially given where the Raiders are right now. But they do need them to step up on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rarms on Sunday, or the Raiders will slip below .500.