Oakland Raiders Secondary in Desperate Need of Adjustments, Additions

The Oakland Raiders will welcome back some reinforcements for the secondary after a historically poor defensive performance in Week 9.

In addition to returning players, it’s more important to make adjustments to patch up the secondary in time for a tough Week 10 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings. 

Head coach Jack Del Rio voiced his optimism for defensive backs Nate Allen and T.J. Carrie’s return to the field this week during Monday’s media press conference. 

The shallow depth behind the starting defensive backs places immense pressure on players staying healthy and in some cases performing at a high level with moderate injuries. 

The coaching staff could lessen the chances of an injury for one particular defensive back nursing multiple bumps and bruises with a minor personnel adjustment.

Replace T.J. Carrie on Punt Returns

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

The Raiders coaching staff opted to utilize Carrie on punt returns and found out what it’s like to take the field without him against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In Week 8 against the New York Jets, Carrie endured some big hits while covering wide receiver Brandon Marshall. He also took some unnecessary additional hits as a punt returner on special teams. He fielded four punts for six yards—none of which resulted in a fair catch, per Pro Football Focus. 

The defensive back took some high-velocity hits for less than 10 yards of field position. Based on conventional mathematics, the minimal gain isn't worth risking an irreplaceable talent in the secondary. 

Carrie leads the team in punt returns with 17 for the season. It’s a minor tweak, but someone other than the Raiders' best cornerback, with a shoulder and hip injury, should return punts for the remainder of the season. In Week 9, Marcus Thigpen returned a punt in Carrie's absence. Hopefully, he remains on the roster.

Keeping Hayden in the Slot

It’s clear the coaching staff will continue to work on cornerback D.J. Hayden’s development, but it’s obvious that progress must come from the slot position:

Parameters	Snaps	Targets	Recs	Yards	TDs Allowed	INTs
Outside Coverage	142	37	27	330	3	1
Slot Coverage	217	37	26	243	2	0
Total	359	74	53	573	5	1

The comparison between Hayden on the outside and in the slot doesn’t illustrate significant difference. However, the amount of yards allowed on the perimeter should strike you as alarming. 

He’s beat frequently for long receptions, which poses a huge problem when lining up against quicker, top-tier wideouts like Antonio Brown. According to Pro Football Focus, he ranks third in yards allowed.

At the very least, Hayden could still develop into a decent slot cornerback where he can play off of coverage. Obviously, man coverage isn’t his strong suit. 

Many suggested a move to safety, but he’s struggling with tackling. Hayden has missed 10 tackles through eight games, which equals the same amount of missed tackles as Woodson playing with one strong arm.

As the last layer of the pass defense, it’s important to perfect tackling techniques when tracking down deep-threat speed receivers and challenging bigger tight ends.

Looking Ahead: Finding Another Dynamic Perimeter Defender

Player	Position	Dead Money Owed in 2016	Last Year Under Contract
T.J. Carrie	CB/S	$33,482	2017
D.J. Hayden	CB	$2.19M	2016
David Amerson	CB	$0	2016
Neiko Thorpe	CB	N/A	2015/RFA
Keith McGill	CB	$222,600	2017
Dexter McDonald	CB	$42,638	2018
Charles Woodson	S	N/A	2015
Nate Allen	S	$0	2018
Tevin McDonald	S	$0	2017/RFA
Jimmy Hall	S	$13,334	2017/RFA

The above list illustrates the financial status of the current defensive backs on the roster. Oakland has major decisions to make during the upcoming offseason.

For starters, the Raiders stand one Carrie injury away from taking the field without a solid No. 1 cornerback.

David Amerson has essentially taken Keith McGill’s role as a potential press-coverage specialist, but he’s not agile enough to defend quick-twitch receivers and sophisticated pass routes, per NFL.com’s prospect draft profile: 

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Some teams will project him to safety unless he proves hip flexibility, agility, and speed in workouts. Backpedal will be tested by quicker receivers eating up his cushion at the next level. Takes time to transition forward from pedal, comes out of his breaks a bit slow. Can be deceived by double moves.

"

Amerson’s physicality and size match up exceptionally well against bigger receivers who rely on bulk and boxing out smaller defenders as opposed to a speed burner with fancy footwork. Since arriving in Oakland, he’s allowing the highest average yards per catch at 12.9 among the cornerbacks.

When paired against certain wideouts, he’s an asset. Unlike Carrie, he cannot line up against No. 1 or agile wideouts week to week. In 2014, he ranked as the overall worst cornerback in the league. On Sunday, Amerson allowed 174 yards in coverage.

As part of Amerson’s draft profile, NFL Media draft expert Mike Mayock called him a “boom-or-bust candidate.”

The Raiders will need a more dynamic defender on the outside, which enables the option to move Amerson around the secondary for an advantageous matchup.

Oakland will probably have its sights sets on a cornerback at the top of the 2016 draft, though it’s way too early to speculate on who declares eligible and other potential roster needs. 

At this point, Oakland should continue to monitor Hayden’s progress, assess Amerson’s fit as a physical defender and possibly allot more snaps for Neiko Thorpe. Expect more buzz for rookie cornerback Dexter McDonald as a project during the offseason.

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All statistics are provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com, Pro Football Focus and Team Rankings unless otherwise noted.