Entering 2025 Training Camp, Raiders.com is previewing every position group and evaluating the players who will make up the 53-man roster. Take a glance at the secondary.

New players

The Raiders' 2024 starting safety tandem has been dissolved with Tre'von Moehrig and Marcus Epps leaving in free agency.

This led to the Silver and Black signing Jeremy Chinn, a former second-round pick of the Carolina Panthers who secured 17 pass deflections, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries during his tenure in Charlotte. Last season he ventured off to the Washington Commanders where he started every game. They finished with a 12-5 record and reached the NFC Championship for the first time in over 20 years. The safety caught an interception with 17 solo tackles in his three playoff games for the Commanders.

As Pete Carroll notably likes to field big, physical defensive backs in his secondary, a 6-foot-3, 220-pound Chinn perfectly fits the bill. In OTAs, he's been seen using his size and remarkably fast recovery speed to make some pass breakups on the likes of Brock Bowers, Jakobi Meyers and Dont'e Thornton Jr. He's also being used as a chess piece early on in Patrick Graham's defense – lining up in the box, shallow in the middle of the field, or in single-high.

"Just in terms of his leadership, he's very sure of himself, because he puts in the work," Graham said. "Self-confidence comes from preparation; it's not a self-esteem thing or self-talk thing. When you're prepared, you're really, really confident. That's what I see from him."

Along with Chinn, Eric Stokes and Lonnie Johnson Jr. add veteran presence and leadership to the secondary. Stokes, a 2021 first-round pick, had a remarkable rookie season with the Green Bay Packers where he notched 14 pass deflections. However, over his next two seasons, he missed 22 games due to various injuries. He's coming off his first NFL season in which he appeared in all 17 games, totaling 29 solo tackles as the Packers went 11-6.

Johnson is looking to regain a role in the defensive rotation after spending his last three seasons largely in a special teams role. In his first three career years with the Houston Texans, he converted over from cornerback to safety, recording 13 pass deflections and three interceptions in that span. Coming to the Raiders, he reunites with defensive backs coach Marcus Robertson, who coached him with the New Orleans Saints in 2023.

The team also spent draft capital to improve the secondary, selecting Darien Porter in the fourth round out of Iowa State. Porter is still relatively new to playing the cornerback position, having played wide receiver up until his junior season of college. Like Chinn, Porter's physical traits align with Carroll's vision for his secondary as the 6-foot-2, 195-pounder ran a 4.30 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. He caught three interceptions in 2024.

"I love the pick, I love the guy. I think he has a lot of physical gifts," Robertson said. "He's got the length, the speed. He is taking, to me, big leaps from one week to the next as far as the coaching and the training and all those types of things. ... He's got a chance to be a really good player."

Three undrafted rookie free agents were also signed: Mello Dotson from Kansas and John Humphrey and Greedy Vance who were teammates at USC. Dotson was a First-Team All-Big 12 selection, leading the conference in interceptions (five) and interceptions returned for touchdowns (two).

Returning players

The Raiders have several returning defensive backs who proved to be capable starters, starting with Jakorian Bennett and Isaiah Pola-Mao.

Bennett was thrust into a starting role as a rookie in 2023, with growing pains and injuries following. He took a huge leap in his sophomore campaign, recording eight pass deflections while allowing a 52.3 completion percentage to quarterbacks in coverage. Unfortunately his breakout season came to an early end with a torn labrum that ultimately sidelined him for the last seven games of the season.

"I was feeling good going into last year," Bennett said at minicamp. "I just felt confident, felt like when you get that experience, everything just kind of slows down. And I had a groups of guys that believed in me, and so this year I'm trying to try to do the same thing. Keep my head and just keep working."

Pola-Mao re-signed with the Silver and Black after starting 14 games last season. He took over at strong safety following Epps' season-ending injury, and finished his third season with career highs in pass deflections (five) and total tackles (89). He was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his showing against the Jacksonville Jaguars in which he recorded nine total tackles and two forced fumbles in the Week 16 victory.

"I think it's more of, for me, I want to earn that starting role," he said. "Like last year, I was kind of shoved into that role by default. But I want to earn that starting role. I want to earn the trust with the guys, the coaches. So, like I said, this is a new defense. Nothing last year matters. It's a new start for me, new start for everybody else. That's where I'm starting."

As the injury bug hit the secondary throughout the season, it gave a chance for players such as Darnay Holmes, Decamerion Richardson and Thomas Harper to step up. All three have seen their share of reps throughout offseason practices. The Raiders also get back Sam Webb, Chris Smith II and Trey Taylor, who all played a factor on special teams in 2024.

Las Vegas native Kyu Blu Kelly spent the majority of 2024 on the Raiders practice squad before signing to the active roster in late December. He appeared in four games.