Raiders safety Jeremy Chinn had the perfect two-word answer when asked what his personal goal was this offseason
The Las Vegas Raiders are getting ready to take the field with a new look secondary on defense.
The Las Vegas Raiders have a completely different secondary to work with in 2026 than they had in 2025. There are a few of the same parts, but they drafted four rookie defensive backs.
They drafted two safeties, one in the second and one in the fifth round. Then two cornerbacks. one in the fourth and one in the fifth. So, the question begs itself: where does that leave the guys like Jeremy Chinn and Isaiah Pola-Mao who are in the last year of their deals?
It’s obvious that a guy like Chinn understands how important this next season is for him. He attacked the offseason hard, and the way he describes his plan should have fans hyped.
“Becoming bulletproof,” Chinn told reporters. “Working. I mean, I’ve been here. I’ve been in Las Vegas my whole offseason. So, I’ll be here for the rest of the year, just getting ready for the season.”
Chinn could have a huge year in this defensive scheme, but first, the Raiders must decide what they want to do with the slot position.
Jeremy Chinn could be a chess piece in the secondary
The Raiders have to figure out their slot position, and it sounds like they already have. We have heard from coaches now that in OTAs, they have worked on multiple guys in the secondary switching between safety and slot. Right now, the two primary slot guys could be completely different than what they were last year. Taron Johnson, the veteran they traded for, could be the main guy there, and then rookie Treydaan Stukes could replace the reps that Greedy Vance had.
Vance didn’t play much, but he did end up playing 66 snaps, was targeted 7 times, allowed 4 catches for 47 yards, and faced 94 intended air yards. There’s also Dalton Johnson, the rookie who has 441 career college slot snaps. Then there is the two guys from last year who played in the box and a bit of free safety.
Although Pola-Mao did play 102 slot snaps last season, according to Pro Football Focus, he doesn’t seem like the best option. And according to Sports Info Solutions, he was targeted five times in the slot, allowed two catches for 12 yards, and recorded an interception. So, maybe he takes on that role. Chinn also has experience, but he’s been known to struggle in coverage, even against bigger players like tight ends.
However, Chinn has been working his tail off, and we have heard he’s done well there during OTAs. But that’s OTAs.