The Las Vegas Raiders wanted to improve their secondary and decided to bring in a former two-time All-Pro cornerback for the upcoming season.
The Las Vegas Raiders have had a mixed bag of news in the past week. They were unable to agree to terms with running back Josh Jacobs on a long-term contract, and it's unknown when he will return. But, quarterback and free agent signing Jimmy Garoppolo passed his physical and is good to go for the upcoming season. But, the Raiders will have a tough hill to climb to contend in the AFC this upcoming season.
Ahead of training camp, the team decided to add to their secondary, and they brought in a rather big name.
According to NFL Network national insider Ian Rapoport, the Raiders are signing former Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Rams cornerback Marcus Peters to a one-year contract after having what was described as an "impressive workout" on Monday.
Raiders reach agreement with cornerback Marcus Peters
When looking at Las Vegas' 2022 season, their pass defense was an obvious weakness. Through the 17 regular-season games played, the Raiders secondary allowed 242.9 passing yards per game (fourth-highest in NFL) and 7.3 yards per attempt (tied eighth-highest), while recording just six interceptions (the fewest in the league), via ESPN.
This offseason, the team brought in former Philadelphia Eagles safety Marcus Epps and cornerbacks Brandon Facyson and Duke Shelley. But, with the official reporting date for veterans to report to training camp taking place on July 25, the Raiders decided that bringing in Peters would be the wise move to help defend against the pass.
Peters played 13 games last season, after missing the campaign before tearing his ACL. In that span, Peters recorded 47 combined tackles (35 solo, 12 assisted), six passes defended, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, one interception, and one sack. In pass coverage, Peters allowed 54 receptions for 711 yards and seven touchdowns on 84 targets, per Pro Football Reference.
The Raiders liked what they saw from Peters, and agreed to a one-year contract. Now, he will have to defend against quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert in the division four times total this upcoming season, now that he is a member of the AFC West.