The Las Vegas Raiders have finally made the signing that many had expected them to make for some time now, bringing in veteran cornerback Marcus Peters. While the pass rush has a rotation of Pro Bowler Maxx Crosby, veteran Chandler Jones and first-round pick Tyree Wilson, the secondary has many more question marks.
While Peters is not without his faults, he has been one of the best playmaking cornerbacks since entering the league in 2015. After missing all of 2021 with a torn ACL, Peters returned to the field last season but had the lowest output of his career with just one interception and six passes defensed in 13 games with the Baltimore Ravens.
Statistics don’t always tell the whole story and the Raiders absolutely believe Peters will be a great addition to the team. In fact, Chandler Jones believes a ballhawk like Peters in the secondary will help out the pass rush.
“Yeah. Well, anytime you can get a veteran on the team, someone that has experience and Marcus is a hell of a player,” Jones said after a recent practice. “He’s someone that I think is a lockdown corner, he’s someone that plays very hard, and it helps them.
“If you can get more impact players in the secondary it also ties together, it correlates. So, hopefully the quarterback holds the ball longer, more time for me and Maxx [Crosby] and the others to get to the quarterback.”
The pass rush and secondary work hand-in-hand. If the line can get pressure on the quarterback quickly it forces them to get rid of the ball before they want, disrupts timing, and can lead to more interception opportunities. Likewise, as Jones pointed out, great coverage forces the quarterback to hold on to the ball for longer, which gives the pass rush more time to get to their target which is huge for this Raiders defense.
Marcus Peters is a three-time All-Pro and Pro Bowler with 32 interceptions and six touchdowns in his seven NFL seasons. A player with that type of pedigree and with something to prove is sure to make an impact and help the Raiders pass rush and vice versa. Also being another year removed from that torn ACL should allow him to look much more like his former self.
The Raiders defense is a question mark coming into the season, but the addition of Peters will hopefully help solidify things in the back end and allow for Jones, Crosby, Wilson, and the rest of the Raiders’ line to wreak havoc up front.
