Nate Hobbs, Tre’von Moehrig developing into young stars of the Raiders’ secondary

To replace some of the veteran leadership lost in free agency, the Raiders brought in safety Duron Harmon – who’s won three Super Bowls with Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler in New England. Harmon has recorded at least four pass deflections and two interceptions over the past five seasons. Anthony Averett is another veteran depth piece added to the secondary who is coming off the best season of his career with 11 pass deflections and three interceptions, starting in all 14 games he appeared in for the Baltimore Ravens.

Darius Phillips could find a role for himself not only within the secondary, but as a return specialist. Last season with the Bengals, he had 346 all-purpose yards in kick and punt returns. Phillips was also second on the team in pass deflections (12) in 2020.

Cre’Von LeBlanc got his start in the league under defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, after the New England Patriots brought him in as a UDFA in 2016. He has played in 52 games (16 starts) in his career. NFL journeyman Chris Jones is going into his fifth season, with 29 games played among four teams. Ike Brown is the most recent addition to the Raiders’ secondary after playing for the USFL’s New Orleans Breakers, totaling 16 tackles and two interceptions.

The newest additions to the Raiders’ secondary are rounded out with four rookie UDFAs in Sam Webb, Qwynnterrio Cole, Isaiah Pola-Mao and Bryce Cosby. Cosby was named first team All-MAC as a senior in 2020 and Cole was a two-time HBCU All-American at Alcorn State before transferring to Louisville his senior season.