Raiders Secondary Has Everything It Needs To Take Step Forward

The Las Vegas Raiders were one of the worst teams in the NFL last season. Their defense and offense worked in tandem to produce one of the least inspiring Raiders teams of the past decade, if not longer.

Klint Kubiak was brought in as their head coach to bring his offensive philosophies to Las Vegas, but where does that leave their defense? They promoted defensive line coach Rob Leonard to be their defensive coordinator, but they've made plenty of strides to improve their secondary as well.

Mentality Next Season

Jeremy Chinn was asked what’s his mentality coming into the season.

“Become bulletproof.”

Dead face, no smile, very intense. Real demon time.#Raiders pic.twitter.com/CjhYGYQRZb
— Levi Edwards (@theleviedwards) June 3, 2026

Jeremy Chinn was one of the bright spots on their secondary last season, and a much better supporting cast surrounds him. He is entering the last year of his contract, so even if he's a valuable member of their secondary now, his future in Las Vegas isn't secured.

They drafted Dalton Johnson in the fifth round, and that's his immediate replacement. He's only 28, and if he can impress again in 2026, I'm sure the Raiders will consider extending him beyond next season. Regardless of Chinn's future in Las Vegas, he's going to be a big asset for their defense next year.

Youth Movement

#Raiders S Jeremy Chinn on Arizona safeties Treydan Stukes and Dalton Johnson, both drafted by Las Vegas:

"It keeps the offense guessing when we have guys who can play in different spots and rotate different ways... It's been impressive to see those guys be willing to be like,… pic.twitter.com/EBMkw6TqzF
— Nick Walters (@nickwalt) June 3, 2026

The youth movement in Las Vegas is all throughout their roster, but their secondary looks especially bright. Treydan Stukes will be their most important rookie next season, and the reason is his versatility. He has the power and physicality to be their starting nickel back, but he also has the speed to drop back in coverage and be a ball hawk.

The same thing can be said about Johnson to a lesser degree. He's not as athletic as Stukes, but he also operates as a nickel back/safety hybrid. They'll be the players who hold down the Raiders' secondary in the future, but they can still be complementary pieces now and only serve to make them even better.

It helps that the Raiders' front office understood how much Eric Stokes meant to them last season and gave him a contract extension this offseason. Stokes is 27, but he has shown genuine improvement since his early years with the Green Bay Packers.

They can also count on Darien Porter making a jump, as he was one of their most impressive rookies last season. The Raiders' secondary is in good hands, with many young players waiting for their opportunities, and proven players ahead of them ready to give them valuable reps next season.

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