According to Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report, the Las Vegas Raiders are expected to add former New York Giants cornerback Darnay Holmes to their active roster.

Darnay Holmes was drafted by the Giants in 2020 when Patrick Graham, the Raiders’ current defensive coordinator, was playing in New York under head coach Joe Judge. Holmes has been a member of the Giants every year of his career, but he did not make the roster this season.

It’s not a huge surprise that the Raiders would sign a player Graham is familiar with, especially given the unanswered questions that remain on Los Angeles’ defense. Graham was highly regarded by the Giants and current head coach Brian Daboll wanted to keep him when he replaced Judge as head coach. However, that didn’t happen as Graham wanted a fresh start with the Raiders after initially being allowed to interview for the defensive coordinator position with the Steelers.

Holmes will now try to earn a spot in the Raiders’ starting lineup as they look to shore up the defense and give pass rushers like Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins time to put pressure on the quarterback.

What will Darnay Holmes bring to the Raiders?

While Holmes is by no means a shutdown corner and expectations shouldn’t be too high, he is a player who makes sense in Graham’s scheme, which relies more on zone coverage than man coverage. When Graham left the Giants and Wink Martindale replaced him, it was the exact opposite scheme that suited Holmes’ strengths.

Martindale is a blitz-oriented defensive coordinator who lets his cornerbacks live on an island in one-on-one matchups. Graham is a more conservative defensive coordinator, at least compared to Martindale, and, as mentioned, uses more zone coverage.

As for the role Holmes will play for the Raiders, if he even gets on the field, he will be as a slot corner. He joins a cornerback group that features Jack Jones and Jakorian Bennett as starters on the outside, with Nate Hobbs currently listed as the starting nickel corner.

It will be interesting to see if Holmes gets on the field early. His experience with Graham’s scheme gives him an advantage and should help him adjust quickly.

It will be interesting to see if Holmes can take the field in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers.