The Oakland Raiders added another veteran to the cornerback depth chart on Wednesday, signing 32-year-old free agent Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, according to multiple reports.
After playing on the outside for most of his career, DRC transitioned to more of a slot role for the New York Giants last season, earning 66.9 overall grade in 15 games. He allowed a career-best 8.0 yards per reception but also a career-worst 107.1 passer rating when targeted in 2017.
Rodgers-Cromartie is now two years removed from the highest-graded season of his career when he tied Chris Harris Jr. as the league’s top-ranked cornerback in 2016.
He joins a Raiders secondary rebuilt with plenty of new faces this offseason. Free-agent acquisition Rashaan Melvin is starting opposite second-year cornerback Gareon Conley, and former Carolina Panthers third-round pick Daryl Worley appears to stand third on the depth chart. Rookie fourth-round pick Nick Nelson and veterans Leon Hall and Shareece Wright are also in the mix, leaving a lot of competition for Rodgers-Cromartie.
Worley has been the highest-graded player of the group at 82.1 overall on only 12 snaps so far this preseason, while former undrafted free agent Antonio Hamilton has stood out with two pass breakups and just two catches allowed on seven targets.
Nelson and Wright have played the most snaps through two exhibition games, both splitting time between the slot and outside positions.
DRC is the most experienced cornerback on the Raiders’ roster in terms of career snaps, but he only has a few weeks to carve out a role for himself in the Oakland secondary.
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