3 mistakes the Raiders made this offseason and how to fix them

Not upgrading the secondary

Sure, the Raiders brought back Karl Joseph on a one-year deal to bolster the safety unit, but that’s not exactly the kind of move that will fix the broad issues across the secondary.

Joseph is a former first-rounder, but he has a terrible history track record. He missed games in 2020 because of a hamstring, had foot surgery in 2019, struggled with a hamstring issue in 2018, nearly make it through 2017 but for a groin issue and missed games as a rookie as well. In fact, he has never played a full 16-game schedule in his five years in the league.

He’s the kind of player who may be worth taking a chance on. Las Vegas needs more than chances.

It has to start with at least one more dip into the free-agent market to find a cornerback to help drag that unit out of the muck. According to Mike Klis, the Raiders met with Lenzy Pipkins, a journeyman CB, so they’re at least looking around even if that particular name doesn’t inspire tons of hope.

The draft could hold the ultimate answer, though it’ll be quite the balancing act addressing CB will also finding help for the offensive line and other areas.