How Will the Departure of Jones Affect the Raiders?

The Las Vegas Raiders released Jack Jones after failing to find a trade partner for him where they hoped to secure any additional draft picks. He was picked up off of waivers by the Raiders after the team that drafted him in 2022, the New England Patriots, cut him due to off-the-field antics.

When the Raiders picked him up in 2023, it had to have been greenlit by Antonio Pierce, who was the Raiders interim head coach at the time and was also Jones high school coach. However, now that the Raiders have brought in plenty of new faces including a new head coach in Pete Carroll, Jones is no longer a part of their long-term plan.

This move came as quite a surprise as they had already lost quite a bit of depth in their secondary in free agency. Impactful players like Nate Hobbs and Trevon Moehrig found new teams and they even lost players who helped out with their depth such as Marcus Epps.

They recuperated some of their players lost by signing players of their own like Jeremy Chinn, Lonnie Johnson, Eric Stokes, and even retaining Darnay Holmes. Their backfield will look a lot different next season, but how will Jones's departure affect them?

Last season for the Raiders he had the best year of his career, due to him being healthy all season and being able to play 17 games. In 2024, he had 16 passes defended, three interceptions, and 69 total tackles.

The most impactful aspect of Jones's play was his knack for returning interceptions for touchdowns. In his career, he has seven interceptions, four of them being returned for six. He's also quite adept at breaking up pass plays at the last moment due to his swift hands and ability to position himself where it's most optimal.

The Raiders will save 3 million against the cap by cutting him, which could potentially free up some space for some more free-agency moves. However, his departure will be felt in their defense, as they lose out on another ball hawk will dampen the impact of their defensive unit.

If I were Raiders Nation, I wouldn't worry too much about it though. While Jones was an impactful player, he was hardly able to stay on the field and I believe the talent they've brought in from free agency should be enough to sustain them in the backfield.