The Secondary Will Record at Least 12 Interceptions
To say the Raiders secondary last season was terrible would be a complete understatement. They became the first team in NFL history to have zero interceptions through 11 games and that’s just the defense as a whole! No one in the secondary recorded an interception until safety Karl Joseph reeled one in against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 14. Why was the Raiders secondary record-breakingly bad? Well, they just didn’t have the talent. Gareon Conley was out for the year with his shin injury along with Obi Melifonwu who was fighting back and forth with injuries.
The entire secondary was just constantly getting burned, in a bad position, or receiving penalties. It didn’t help that they had one of the worst defensive coaching staffs in the NFL. The Raiders secondary only recorded four picks the entire season. That, however, won’t happen this upcoming season. Gruden brought in Paul Guenther to run the defense and added a lot of new toys for him to operate with. The Raiders signed the likes of cornerback Rashaan Melvin, safety Marcus Gilchrist, and corner Daryl Worley.
Now compare them to the players they let walk. This secondary lost Sean Smith, David Amerson, and TJ Carrie. The three players they brought in are exponentially better than the three they let walk. On top of that, former first round pick Gareon Conley will presumably be available this season. This is easily the best secondary the Raiders have had in years. Guenther has to be drooling at the mouth at the creativity and variety he has at his disposal.
If Conley can remain healthy he’ll be a force to be reckoned with. Tag him along with Rashaan Melvin, who is coming off a career year, and there’s a chance the Raiders have one of the top corner duos. Both of these players’ footwork is phenomenal, which allows them to shadow receivers so fluidly. Melvin, however, is the most significant acquisition in the secondary from the Indianapolis Colts. According to Pro Football Focus, Melvin defensed or intercepted 23.6 percent of his targets, which ranks him at number three for that stat line.
That shows that Melvin is in a good position to make a play on the ball more times than not. Melvin himself outperformed the combined efforts of last years Raiders secondary. Opposing quarterbacks are still going to go at him and Conley, which will provide them plenty of opportunities to rally in interceptions. Don’t forget about the mean pass rush this defense has. They are definitely going to force quarterbacks into making some hurried throws. From four interceptions to 12. It’s only three times as many, so it’s not a big deal. At least it shouldn’t be for this significantly upgraded secondary.
Next Page: No. 2
