Which Raiders Defenders Shot Up the Ranks Ahead of Week 1

As the Las Vegas Raiders hit the road to face the New England Patriots, one player has skyrocketed up the depth chart.

Aug 23, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders have several household names on their roster, but they also have talented players who are ready to make a name for themselves this season.

Raiders' Rising Defender

Pete Carroll noted several times during training camp that cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly was making a case for more playing time.

"I'm glad you noticed it because I'm noticing it, too. He's had plays every day for about the last five or six days out here. Mock Game, too, he's just been really active. Seems like he's really settling in, and his aggressive style of play has really shown up," Carroll said.

"So, I'm fired up for him. If you've noticed, I don't know if it happened today, but yesterday, he got work with the ones just to see how he fits in and all of that. Just a great example of a guy competing his butt off and try to make a statement."

At the start of training camp, many assumed Kelly would be behind rookie cornerback Darien Porter, as well as others. He entered camp as one of the many defensive backs on the Raiders' roster but gradually set himself apart.

The talented corner's repeated positive performances in training camp and the preseason now have him listed as a starting cornerback on the team's unofficial depth chart heading into Week 1.

"What's happened is Kyu Blu [Kelly] really, really made the push now, he's really come on, and he's done a really nice job. Played well again yesterday, and he's aggressive and comfortable and is making things happen. So, he's just making it a great competition for guys," Carroll said.

"Corners are doing fine, and we just need more opportunities for playmaking. We play a lot of zone, ball's getting inside a lot, so those guys weren't able to be as involved. I really like the development of these guys, and they're going to get better as we move forward."

Carroll noted that the Raiders gave Kelly enough time to rest a sore hamstring leading up to Week 1, as the team planned on him playing a vital role in their gameplan.

"Yeah, it was really, really unfortunate that he just has a sore hamstring, and he's got an old injury that he had surgery on years ago. And it was a little sensitive, so we just took care of him, with two weeks coming up, to get him ready for the opener, what he could contribute there. We took care of him. The thing I've been saying about him, he's really shown up to be active and aggressive and playing the style of play that we want," Carroll said.

"He's done a lot of positive things, and we just needed to make sure that we didn't delay this return. So, we held him out, but he's battling, and so he's done really well, and he's done a nice job on special teams also."

Find us on X (formerly Twitter) @HondoCarpenter and @EZTrez_SI and weigh in.

While here, check out our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE to discuss this take.