The Las Vegas Raiders spent the offseason trying to fix a secondary that needed help, and they did it by adding four defensive backs in the 2026 NFL Draft. The loudest buzz in camp followed Arizona safety Treydan Stukes and the mid-round corners Zeke Masses and Jermod McCoy, but the rookie who turned in the cleanest preseason debut was the one who barely got mentioned: fifth-round safety Dalton Johnson.
Johnson showed up in the Raiders’ preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals on both defense and special teams. He played 28 defensive snaps and finished with three tackles, three run stops and no missed tackles.
He was targeted once in 10 coverage snaps and helped force an incompletion. On special teams, he logged nine snaps across five units - kick coverage and return, punt coverage and return, and field goal/extra point block - and added a tackle while earning a 75.1 grade from Pro Football Focus in that phase.
The rest of the rookie defensive back class had a tougher time. McCoy had the roughest night, allowing two touchdowns on goal-line fades and giving up another catch after losing the physical battle at the top of the route.
Masses was hit with three catches on three targets for 25 yards and missed two tackles. Stukes was steadier, avoiding major mistakes aside from one missed tackle, but he didn’t produce the kind of splash play that would make him stand out.
By PFF’s numbers, Johnson came out on top among the group with a 66.9 overall grade. Stukes followed at 63.1, while Masses checked in at 40.7 and McCoy at 39.1. Johnson also led the way in tackling and special teams, grading at 75.7 and 75.1, respectively.
It’s worth noting the matchup context here. Stukes, Masses and McCoy saw plenty of snaps against the Cardinals’ second-team offense, while Johnson did most of his work against the 3s and beyond. Still, the rookie safety made the most of his opportunity and quietly gave the Raiders something to build on.
This doesn’t mean Johnson has suddenly passed anyone in the pecking order, and it doesn’t mean the others should be written off after one preseason game. Stukes was solid, Masses may have simply had a bad night, and McCoy is just 21 years old and was playing his first game in 20 months. But Johnson did what the others didn’t: he made himself hard to ignore.
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Raiders Suddenly Have A Real Week 2 Opening Against The Chargers
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For Las Vegas, that changes the feel of a divisional game that could have looked much tougher on paper. The Raiders still have to prepare for a Chargers offense with plenty of talent, but the line issues now give them a real opening to attack and force Los Angeles into uncomfortable choices before Sunday arrives. [Read more 🡒]