Sign Byron Jones in Free Agency
The Raiders’ secondary had a very interesting 2019. The team lost first-round pick Johnathan Abram to an injury before the year started and then traded starting cornerback Gareon Conley to the Houston Texans mid-way through the season.
Overall, the Raiders allowed the eighth most passing yards in the league with 4,107 and finished 25th in passing yards per game with 256.7. The 33 passing touchdowns they allowed ranked 28th whereas their nine interceptions 29th.
The Raiders have to be better at stopping the pass in 2020. Although, despite the poor stats, they did get a solid season out of rookie Trayvon Mullen.
Mullen appeared in all 16 games for the Raiders and started 10. He amassed 48 total tackles, intercepted one pass and defended 10 passes total. Mullen improved as the season went on and appears locked in as a starter heading into 2020.
The question becomes, who plays opposite of him?
Daryl Worley, who started 15 games last season, is a free agent this offseason. The Raiders could bring him back, as he showed the ability to play both corner and safety. Worley is also just 24-years old.
However, even if the Raiders do bring back Worley, they should be looking to make a splash in the secondary. That splash should come in the form of former Dallas Cowboys defensive back Byron Jones.
Jones was recently ranked as the 12th best free agent in the 2020 class by NFL.com. Last season he made 44 tackles and forced a fumble in 15 games. For his career he has 347 tackles, three forced fumbles and two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown.
He was ranked as the 17th best corner in 2019 by Pro Football Focus.
While Byron Jones somewhat lacks the fast-twitch movement that most top corners in the league possess, he relies on intelligent route recognition to play at a high level. After moving back to cornerback from safety, Jones has become a much more confident press man-to-man defender. His forced incompletion rate of 15.1% ranked 22nd among corners through Week 17, and he held opponents to a 22nd-ranked 11.0 yards per reception. Jones will undoubtedly be a coveted unrestricted free agent this offseason.
Jones may not be the biggest playmaker when it comes to turnovers, but he is a stout cornerback who would undoubtedly shore up the position for the Raiders. He provides a proven, veteran presence next to Mullen.
He could work as the Raiders CB1, locking up opponent’s best receivers on game day. With wide outs such as Keenan Allen, Tyreek Hill and Cortland Sutton in the division, having a corner like Jones should pay dividends.
Jones also has the versatility the Raiders should covet. He could play both corner or safety. If they choose to use him at corner he could fill the aforementioned role. If the Raiders do bring back Worley, they could play Jones at safety next to Abram.
Jones is a proven cornerback at 27 years old and the perfect player to build the secondary around. If the Raiders give out one big free agent contract this offseason, it should be to Jones. With the Cowboys already locking up Ezekiel Elliot and Dexter Lawrence, and with Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper as free agents, Jones should walk in free agency.
If so, Las Vegas gives Jones the opportunity to be a star in the secondary.
