The Raiders went into the 2026 season with plenty of uncertainty at cornerback, but one thing felt settled: Eric Stokes was supposed to be the veteran they could lean on. Instead, the early results have been rough. Through five games, Stokes has been arguably the weakest coverage player on the roster, and Pro Football Focus has him as the team’s least effective defender in coverage.
His 37.9 PFF grade in coverage ranks 17th out of 17 Raiders defenders who have played a defensive snap this year.
While Stokes has struggled, Darien Porter has started to push his way into the conversation. Porter has allowed only three catches on nine targets, and he leads the team with two pass breakups and three forced incompletions.
That performance caught the attention of head coach Klint Kubiak, who praised Porter’s showing against the Patriots on Sunday.
“He’s a guy that was starting, lost his starting job for a week and is so mentally tough that he came back in and played really good football yesterday,” Kubiak said about Porter on Monday.
“[He] played very competitive, and that’s not a surprise. That’s the kind of guy that he is. He’s just going to continue to get better, and him and Zeke will compete for that job.”
Ted Nguyen of The Athletic sees Porter’s role growing, and he thinks the second-year cornerback should move ahead of Hezekiah on the depth chart, at least for now.
“I thought Darien Porter was better [on Sunday]. Porter did get beat once but was on that cover zero blitz where it was an all-out blitz and they picked it up. It was just too much time to cover a receiver as fast a Kyle Williams,” Nguyen said on the Just Win podcast this week.
“I think Porter, I don’t know if he won the job for the rest of the season, but he definitely will get a bigger look… I wouldn’t be surprised if he had the majority of snaps for the next game.”
Nguyen also said he thought Porter was worthy of being the team’s no. 2 cornerback based on what he saw in training camp and preseason, meaning his view of Porter has been positive since before the regular season even began.
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Raiders Face A Big Fernando Mendoza Question At Wide Receiver
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One name that has surfaced in the conversation is a receiver who appears to have slipped in Jacksonville, which is exactly the kind of situation that can spark trade speculation this time of year. For Las Vegas, the appeal is obvious: if the Raiders want to make life easier for Cousins now and for Mendoza down the road, they may need to keep pushing on the market for a receiver who can change the shape of the room, even if the cost and fit remain unsettled. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Offensive Struggles Are Fueling A Quarterback Debate
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Against that backdrop, Brock Purdy has begun to emerge as a name worth watching for a bigger role if the Raiders decide to change course in the weeks ahead. No official decision has been made, and the team still has time to sort through its options, but the broader issue is clear: the offense has not given the staff much reason to stand pat. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Could Catch Buffalo At The Perfect Time In Week 6
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Wednesday practice only sharpened the uncertainty in Buffalo. DJ Moore and Ed Oliver were the only Bills players who did not participate, and both were already unavailable in the previous game, leaving their status something to monitor closely as the week unfolds. Las Vegas has its own questions, with Tonka Hemingway and Jalen Nailor in concussion protocol and their availability still up in the air, so this one may end up being decided as much by the injury report as by anything that happens on the field. [Read more 🡒]