Oakland Raiders: Five Camp Battles That Will Be Worth Watching

Nickel Cornerback Duties

With Sean Smith and David Amerson the presumptive starters at cornerback, there is going to be a battle for the team’s nickel corner.

Logic would seem to dictate that Carrie has the inside track on the job. He’s got experience and he’s showed that he has the ability to be very effective in coverage. Unfortunately, a few injuries as well as having to split his focus between cornerback duties and filling in at safety for an injured Nate Allen have hampered his development a bit.

On the depth chart beyond Carrie though, are a few UDFA’s and D.J. Hayden – a former first round draft pick and current NFL bust. If anybody from a group that includes Antonio Hamilton and Kenneth Durden are going to challenge Carrie for the nickel corner duties, it is likely going to be either Hayden or Neiko Thorpe.

Hayden though, reportedly limped off the practice field yesterday with an apparent leg injury. Injuries have plagued him throughout his career and this latest setback, depending on the nature and severity of it, could be a real problem for him. Especially if he’s forced to miss any substantial length of time.

The coaching staff’s patience with Hayden is already thin – they’ve said repeatedly that he doesn’t give it all during practice – and this could potentially be the final nail in his coffin.

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Thorpe though, has some experience with the team already. He appeared in fourteen games – with two starts – for the Raiders last season and notched an interception to go along with his six passes defensed. Thorpe’s problem though, has been consistency – and a glaring lack of it.

Time and again, we would see him make a solid play and then follow it up by getting torched on the next one. He’s young, just now entering his fourth season in the league, so he still has plenty of room to grow.

Though a spirited challenge for nickel corner duties could come from a Durden, Hamilton, or even Dexter McDonald, the real battle for the job is likely between Carrie, Thorpe, and Hayden. Although, if Hayden can’t get himself back on the field soon, he may find himself in danger of falling even farther behind in that race.

Next: The Fight On The Right