Oakland Raiders: Predicting The Team’s Final 53-Man Roster

Cornerbacks (6)

Starters: David Amerson, Sean Smith, Travis Carrie (slot)

Reserves: Gareon Conley, Breon Borders, Antonio Hamilton

This is arguably, be the most beleaguered defensive unit in all of football. And deservedly so. Oakland’s cornerbacks have been flat out awful. Last year, they were torched badly and if the early returns this summer are any indication, we might have a repeat performance unless they can get things locked down quickly. Really quickly.

Sean Smith’s struggles on the field have been detailed ad nauseam. And so have his recent off-the-field troubles. Needless to say, he’s had a rough summer. And Travis Carrie, filling in for a demoted Smith, hasn’t fared much better.

Needless to say, the poor play of the secondary this summer is a major cause for concern as we begin rolling into the regular season.

By virtue of their experience, and the team not having many options, look for Smith and Amerson to start on the outside, while Carrie gets the snaps in the slot.

First-round draft pick Gareon Conley will hopefully see the field at some point in the near future, but he’s missed so much time that he’s not going to have an impact on this secondary anytime soon. Former UDFA Antonio Hamilton will likely land a roster spot given his familiarity with the system.

And Breon Borders, out of Duke, who’s been a good camp story, has likely done enough to land himself a roster spot. If he keeps developing as well as he has to this point – and Carrie continues to struggle in pass defense – we might just see him start to taking snaps in the slot before too long.