The Las Vegas Raiders have added some very exciting pieces to their secondary this offseason. Cornerback Taron Johnson is a fomrer All-Pro, Jermod McCoy was supposed to a first-round pick, Treydan Stukes is a versatile piece and Hezekiah Masses is turning heads at practice.
While the group has a ton of potential, it is very young. The cornerback room seem mostly set, but the Raiders could want to add a veteran safety. Former Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams safety Taylor Rapp is one of the top options still available, and Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton thinks he’s a fit in Las Vegas.
“After six mostly healthy, productive pro years, Rapp suffered a season-ending knee injury in October of last year. For the first time in his career, he finished a campaign without an interception or a pass breakup but only allowed a stingy 78.6 passer rating in coverage,” Moton wrote. “Coming off a down year, Rapp is unlikely to sign a multiyear contract, but the battle-tested defensive back may just need a one-year, prove-it deal to show why he’s still a starting-caliber defender.
“Rapp tracks the ball well. He can provide coverage help at free safety, though teams may want to keep him out of the box because of his 21.2 percent missed tackle rate from last season.”
Rapp is Former Second-Round Pick
Rapp has been in the NFL since 2019 when he was a second-round pick of the Rams. He started 17 games for the team that won the Super Bowl in 2021.
He moved to the Bills in in 2023, but wasn’t a cosnistent starter and dealt with injury issues. If the Raiders signed him, he would likely be a depth piece. Stukes and Jeremy Chinn are the expected starters at safety, but they’re both versatile pieces who can plays all over the defense.
Adding a more traditional safety like Rapp would give them more flexibility to move Chinn and Stukes around.
Raiders Safeties Coach Excited About Young DBs
After the Raiders drafted Stukes, they also reunited him with college teammate Dalton Johnson, who also plays safety. Stukes is the more highly-regarded prospect, but Johnson has shown some signs that he can play.
New Raiders safeties coach Matt Robinson is excited about the chance to work with both of them.
“With Trey, his movement skills and his fluidity, and his ability play nickel, both safety positions, play close to line of scrimmage, play back, and have range to cover man to man – I really like that,” Robinson told Raiders.com. “His abilty to blitz really pops on tape. That’s what attracted us to him and getting him out here and working with him has been like, ‘OK, we can work with that. You’re going to help us big time.’ Dalton, we loved how hard he played, his physicality and his play style. Robbie preaches all the time, it’s play style above [all] else, and that type of attitude is really what the Raiders are all about.”
If Stukes and Johnson turn out to be long-term starting safeties, the Raiders will be thrilled.
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