The Raiders may have to navigate Sunday’s trip to San Francisco without Darien Porter, and that’s a problem that starts with health and quickly spills into the secondary.
Porter was not on the field at the start of Wednesday’s practice because of a groin injury, according to ESPN’s Ryan McFadden. That alone doesn’t lock in his status for the 49ers game, but it does put another question mark in front of a defense that already had its hands full against the Jets.
Porter left last week’s game against New York after hurting his groin on the opening play and never came back, Bill Williamson reported for Silver and Black Pride. When he exited, rookie corners Jermod McCoy and Hezekiah Masses rotated in, and Williamson pointed to them as the most likely options again if Porter can’t go Sunday.
The Raiders selected Porter out of Iowa State in the third round of the 2025 draft, No. 68 overall. Through Week 8, he had 19 tackles, including 14 solo stops, and five passes defensed in six games. He also appeared in all 17 games as a rookie and made 10 starts.
McCoy, whom Las Vegas took out of Tennessee with the first pick of the fourth round, No. 101 overall, in April, and Masses, a fifth-round pick from California at No. 175, could be asked to step into bigger roles if Porter remains sidelined.
Las Vegas did get one defensive piece back Wednesday: defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway returned after dealing with a stinger against New York, McFadden reported. Wide receiver Cody White was not seen at practice.
The Raiders are coming off a 38-33 win over the Jets, a game that snapped a four-game losing streak. But the defense had to survive plenty of stress along the way, including New York scoring on its first six possessions.
That wasn’t the only issue. Running back Braelon Allen piled up 121 yards on 18 carries before halftime as the Jets went ahead 23-14.
Las Vegas answered in the second half and erased a nine-point deficit. The finish came down to one final play, with safety Jeremy Chinn intercepting Geno Smith’s pass into the end zone with seven seconds left to seal the Raiders’ 13th takeaway of the season.
Now at 4-4, Las Vegas heads to Levi’s Stadium to face the 6-1 49ers on Sunday.
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