Raiders rumors: Sean Smith demoted to second string cornerback

At one point, Sean Smith was a top tier cornerback for the Kansas City Chiefs but he’s failed to make an impact ever since he signed with the Oakland Raiders.

Sean Smith is sitting on the bench for the Oakland Raiders. At least, that’s how it will be once the regular season opens up. Word is that the veteran cornerback has lost his starting spot to T.J. Carrie on the Raiders depth chart, a disappointing move that means that Oakland is paying a lot for their star acquisition to play sparingly.

Smith was, at one point, a cornerstone signing just last year. Reggie McKenzie, the Raiders general manager, signed safety Reggie Tongue and Smith in free agency in order to bolster a poor pass defense. He also drafted Karl Joseph, another safety, out of West Virginia. While Tongue has played well and Joseph is a good breakout candidate, the move to sign Smith away from the Kansas City Chiefs hasn’t played out as expected.

"Veteran Sean Smith appears to have lost his starting left cornerback job to T.J. Carrie. Smith struggled last season, and one coach said his sense of urgency has not been consistent thus far. Smith is working in nickel packages, but the one-time big free-agent acquisition appears to be diminished. Smith had some issues in the preseason opener, but one coach said he is being asked to learn some new roles and is going through some natural adjustment issues."

Carrie was the Raiders seventh round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft out of Ohio. Carrie has been a spot starter of sorts for the Raiders secondary over the last three seasons, starting 21 games in that span but only 3 last season. He had 22 tackles and 1 interception last year along with 4 passes defended.

Smith started 15 games for the Raiders last season although he was benched for a short spell for his play. He had 40 total tackles and 2 interceptions.

The Raiders drafted Ohio State cornerback Gareon Conley in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He continues to sit due to injury but he’s expected to win a starting spot at some point, perhaps across from David Amerson, but even Amerson looked average last season after faring much better in previous years.