Breaking: Raiders Set To Poach Super Bowl Champion CB to Replace Marcus Peters

The Las Vegas Raiders are coming off their bye week and need their defense to bounce back if they’re going to go on a late-season charge. The group allowed 31 points in the Week 12 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and veteran cornerback Marcus Peters was cut after getting benched for his performance.

The Raiders have yet to add a cornerback to replace Peters since he was released and Bleacher Report is urging the team to poach veteran cornerback Sidney Jones off of the Cincinnati Bengals‘ practice squad.

“The Raiders released Marcus Peters last week,” BR NFL Staff wrote in a December 4 column. “The veteran showed glimpses of the star player that he used to be, but they were too few and far between to keep him around. It will give the young guys a chance to shine the rest of the way through, but it’s still nice to have a veteran around who can take some snaps.

“Sidney Jones is one of those guys. Injuries have plagued his career, but when he’s healthy he’s a strong cover corner. It would be worth it to at least bring him in and see what he has left.”

Jones was with the Raiders last season so he should be familiar with defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s system. He came into the NFL as a second-round pick in 2017 and won a Super Bowl championship with the Philadelphia Eagles as a rookie. He’s bounced around the NFL throughout his career but has started in 27 games. He’d be a good depth option for the Raiders to add.

Do Las Vegas Raiders Already Have Marcus Peters Replacement?

The fact that the Raiders haven’t signed another cornerback since cutting Marcus Peters means that they may already have his replacement. When Peters was benched against the Chiefs, Jack Jones replaced him. The former New England Patriots standout joined the Raiders a couple of weeks ago and may be in for a bigger role for the rest of the season.

Jones has played well when he’s healthy and has previous experience with interim head coach Antonio Pierce. Patrick Graham runs a similar defense to what the Patriots run so Jones should be able to pick up the system quickly. The bye week should give him time to get up to speed and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s thrust into a starting role soon.

Antonio Pierce Talks Jakorian Bennett

The release of Marcus Peters gives Jakorian Bennett another chance to make his way back into the cornerback rotation. The rookie fourth-round pick came into the season as a starter opposite Peters but his poor play has caused him to lose playing time.

He was even a healthy inactive against the Chiefs in Week 12. Antonio Pierce thinks it was important to give him a game off to reset and come back stronger.

“I think there’s nothing wrong with resetting a young player,” Pierce said during his November 27 media availability. “Allow him to take a step back, learn from some older guys, get some more coaching time individually, more film study and then get better on a practice field. And then that hopefully shows up on game day.”