Outside of the wide receiver position, cornerback is the biggest need still on the Raiders’ roster. The team tried to address that need in a free agency, but a deal with Eli Apple ultimately fell through and the Raiders missed out on several of the top free-agent corners.
Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden will likely address that need in the draft, but there are still a few interesting cornerbacks on the market that should be considered by the Raiders.
One such name is former Cincinnati Bengal Darqueze Dennard. Much like Eli Apple, Dennard had a deal in place with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but that did not come to fruition. Instead, he’s still on the free-agent market, looking for a new team.
In a recent article by Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report, he suggested that the Raiders should reunite Dennard with his former defensive coordinator Paul Guenther. Take a look at Knox’s thoughts on the potential pairing:
Dennard isn’t a high-level starter, but he does have six years of NFL experience. Four of those came under Raiders defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, who was then the defensive coordinator in Cincinnati. Guenther was in charge of Cincinnati’s defense when the Bengals drafted Dennard in the first round in 2014.
Dennard had an excellent 2019 season as he graded inside of Pro Football Focus’ top-20 cornerbacks. Given how badly the Raiders need another competent starter opposite of Trayvon Mullen, Dennard isn’t a bad player for the Raiders to sign now that will help them not to force a pick at the position in the draft.
