After working him out earlier today, the Raiders have signed veteran cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Oakland has added considerable depth to its cornerback room this offseason, but it’s difficult to argue the club has anything close to a No. 1 corner on its roster. Rodgers-Cromartie isn’t viewed in that light, either, but he will give the Raiders another option in the slot. Oakland ranked just 30th in pass defense DVOA in 2017, per Football Outsiders, and performed poorly against opposing slot receivers, finishing 29th in DVOA against inside options.
Currently, 2017 first-round pick Gareon Conley and free agent acquisition Rashaan Melvin are projected to start for Oakland at outside corner. DRC will now enter a battle to start in the slot, where he’ll be competing with Daryl Worley, Leon Hall, Nick Nelson, and others for playing time. As Vic Tafur of The Athletic tweets, the Raiders will likely keep six cornerbacks on their roster, especially because Worley is likely facing a league-imposed suspension.
In 2017, Rodgers-Cromartie appeared in 15 games (six starts) for the Giants, managing 31 tackles, a half-sack, and one pass defensed while grading as the NFL’s No. 58 cornerback, per Pro Football Focus. On 25 targets, DRC allowed 7.2 yards per pass, more than double his 2016 average of 3.5.