With his one-year, $5.5 million contract, Rashaan Melvin is the highest paid cornerback on the Raiders roster and has been the presumed starter across from Gareon Conley for months.
But with just 11 days until the season opener, it sounds like Melvin might have lost his spot in the starting lineup to Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.
None of the starters or top rookies suited up for the preseason finale,” Vic Tafur reported Friday Morning in The Athletic. “But there was cornerback Rashaan Melvin, who Gruden has talked up and was projected to be the starter, chasing no-name Seahawks receivers in the first quarter. Melvin, we’re told, has likely been passed up by recently-signed Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who didn’t play Thursday night.”
Rodgers-Cromartie, 32, is four years older than Melvin and had only been with the team for eight days going into Thursday’s game. But that was evidently may have been enough time for Gruden and defensive coordinator Paul Guenther to see all they needed see.
Rodgers-Cromartie has been an interception machine over his career, including six picks in 2016 with the Giants. The Raiders as a team only tallied five interceptions in 2017.
While it would be a bit of a surprise (and/or disappointment) to see Melvin lose his starting job, it might be a sign that the Raiders have a little more depth at cornerback than they’ve had in a while – and that would be a good thing.
twitter: @raidersbeat
Lol this is hilarious
Lol this is hilarious
I like RC,but he ain’t been there long enuff 2 fully understand Paul Gunther’s D. Will become Nickle back don2 Worley suspension
How much can they possibly have seen? Truth be told, they probably won’t settle on starters until after the first couple of games anyway. DRC may open the season as a starter but depending on how the DB’s play, we could see a completely different secondary by week 4 or 5. Stay tuned.