Pete’s Pulse, CB Battles & Raider Nation's Questions Answered

We’re tapping into Pete’s Pulse — pulling the sharpest nuggets from Pete Carroll’s latest presser and breaking down what they really mean for the Raiders as they gear up for the season opener.

Author

Jesse Merrick
August 29, 2025

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I think, just looking at it early, he's good friends with Mark Whipple, who was my OC at the University of Pittsburgh, so there's a lot of similarities there. I'm going to call Coach Whip this weekend and talk to him some more about it. But a lot of the things I did in college is similar to what he's doing, so I'm kind of taking the teaching I have from Coach Whip and utilizing it here without much coaching that I've been able to get yet. So, just going off the instincts in that.”

— Kenny Pickett, new Raiders quarterback, on his familiarity with Chip Kelly’s scheme

In today’s newsletter, we’re tapping into Pete’s Pulse — pulling the sharpest nuggets from Pete Carroll’s latest presser and breaking down what they really mean for the Raiders as they gear up for the season opener.

PETE’S PULSE

Photo Courtesy: Arnie Bazemore

It’s been a blast covering Pete Carroll — the guy’s got an energy about him that’s contagious. After games, he doesn’t usually tip his hand much, but give him an off day, a practice wrap, or a chance to watch the film, and he’ll drop some nuggets you can’t ignore. In this edition of Pete’s Pulse, I’m pulling out the most interesting takeaways from his latest press conference and adding my own analysis on what they mean for the Raiders moving forward.

AMARI THE NEW LEADER OUT WIDE?

Ever since the Raiders added Amari Cooper to the fold, the big question has been about what his role will look like on this team. On Wednesday, Raiders GM John Spytek spoke very highly of Cooper and even went as far as saying he will be a big part of the game plan in New England when the Raiders open the 2025 season against the Patriots on September 7.

Then on Thursday, Pete offered up these thoughts on Amari Cooper’s arrival.

"Well, he's been a great player. He's been a great performer. He's made a ton of big plays in big situations. It's not beyond his scope to come up and make the clutch play at the right time. He's big and strong, runs fantastic routes, and has always been a playmaker. So, we thought a chance to add a guy like that with experience, really to help our young guys, might really suit us well. And so, for Dont'e (Thornton) on the outside, they'll be doing a lot of the same stuff. I think Amari's (Cooper) way can affect him and help him come along. There's a lot of pressure for him to be the only X over there that we're kind of going with, and so I think this really balances us out well. And I hope it really suits Jack (Bech) and Dont'e."

— Pete Carroll

I don’t know about you, but to me, that doesn’t read well for Dont’e Thornton. They gave the rookie every opportunity to grab hold of the top spot out wide as the X receiver, and throughout most of camp, it looked like he was making his case. Then the last two weeks of camp happened. He started showing some inconsistent hands and struggled to get on the same page with Geno on deep balls.

So in steps Amari Cooper. I’m not saying he’s instantly the top X receiver, but the way I heard Pete and Spytek, I think they’re going to give the vet first crack at it and let the rookie continue to develop. Amari is a high-floor kind of player who’s not too far removed from being one of the more consistent receivers in the league. I’m not saying he completely takes Thornton out of the plan, but I think we see them use the rookie more situationally, or in particular packages, rather than rolling him out there anytime they’re in 11 personnel like we saw throughout camp. This is an interesting development at this stage of the game.

WHAT ABOUT THE CORNERS?

As the Raiders get set to kick off the 2025 season, we know one thing for sure about the defense: their defensive line is going to be good, but what about the guys on the back end? Will they be able to cover anybody?

“I'm excited about this group now. We're athletic and really fast, everybody's attentive and tuned in. Nobody has any big agendas there. This is a group that's really wired well, and there's a lot to teach and a lot to learn, particularly when you have really young corners. There's a lot for them to pick up in a short amount of time. So, there's a challenge to that. And so, we're going to try to take care of them and help them in the ways they need so that they can get off to a good start, and we can build their confidence as we go. It's hard to be confident until you've really gone through it, so that's the problem with playing rookies. I've never had an issue with that. I've always played young guys and helped them make it through it, and we'll do much of the same with our guys now. I think Eric Stokes has done a really good, solid job of jumping in and owning his spot. Jeremy [Chinn] has given us real stability, and really, Isaiah [Pola-Mao] has done a fine job of just picking up and taking this next step in his career. He's had a lot of opportunity to be in a leadership position on the back end and making calls and all of that, and he's done really well. We've got really good competition over there on the other side, and we'll see how that works out by the end of the week, but we'll keep it going. A number of guys will play in the game. You'll see a lot of guys will be rolling through there."

— Pete Carroll

I’m with Pete, I think it’s a talented group, and I particularly like the safeties they have at their disposal. I’ve also been fairly impressed with what I’ve seen out of Eric Stokes throughout training camp, but the jury is still out on him and how the rest of the corners will fare from week to week. The big question is who takes hold of the spot opposite Stokes?

We’ve talked ad nauseam about the cornerback battle. The two leaders in the clubhouse today seem to be the rookie Darien Porter and third-year corner Kyu Blu Kelly. Clearly, Pete doesn’t feel either one of them has really separated themselves in that competition, so it sounds like it’s going to bleed over into the Patriots game. We’ll definitely see those two, but the way he talked about it, I wonder if we'll also see Decamerion Richardson and Darnay Holmes, too?

Richardson has been mostly relegated to second-team reps ever since a short stint with the ones, where it looked like he was in the mix. Holmes is their primary nickelback (for now), but does line up on the outside at times.

If I were putting my money on it, I think we see Porter get first crack at it, then Kelly, and maybe we see a handful of snaps for Richardson if things don’t go so well for either one of those previously mentioned guys.

Outside of Stefon Diggs, the Patriots don’t have anybody that should make you shake in your boots, but don’t count that group or Drake Maye out. This Raiders secondary will be tested, and it’s going to be really interesting to see how they respond in week one.

MISS ANYTHING?

Catch up on some of our recent stories:

Raiders 53-Man Roster Reaction & Amari Cooper’s Role in His Return


— Breaking down the Raiders’ 53-man roster + what Amari Cooper’s return means.


Raiders QB Options After Aidan O’Connell’s Injury + Roster Projections

— With Aidan O’Connell sidelined 6–8 weeks, we break down which quarterbacks the Raiders could target next.


WHY TOMMY MELLOTT DIDN’T MAKE THE CUT & THAYER MUNFORD’S RELEASE

Want the full breakdown of the Raiders’ latest roster shake-up? In the newest episode of the Silver & Black Sports Network Podcast (linked above), I dig into why the Raiders moved on from Tommy Mellott so quickly, the ripple effect of Thayer Munford’s surprise release on the offensive line, and what the arrival of Kenny Pickett means for Aidan O’Connell’s future with the team. Plus, don’t miss our first-ever Fan Q&A segment, where I answer your questions on the hottest debates firing up Raider Nation.

FANSHOTZ FRIDAY

Photo Courtesy: Arnie Bazemore

By now, you have seen the phenomenal photos we’ve been using in many of our newsletters. They’re some of the best shots you’ll find of your favorite team, captured through the lens of our friend Arnie Bazemore of Fanshotz.com. Every Friday, we’ll feature Arnie’s favorite Raiders shot of the week that he captures at practice or on gameday. This week, we’re featuring a shot he captured in the preseason finale of Dylan Laube, who earned a spot on the Raiders’ 53-man roster this week. Check out his work at his site linked above and reach out if you’re interested in working with him. He’s a great guy and has been so supportive of me over the years when I was at NBC here in Vegas, and he’s come along for the ride with Silver & Black Sports Network, too.

WHAT’S NEXT?

The Raiders are off til Monday afternoon. That will mark their first practice of the regular season. So, with that in mind, we’re taking the weekend off too, and won’t be releasing a newsletter this coming Monday morning. So keep an eye out for the next edition of the newsletter on Wednesday morning, that’s when we’ll dive into the opener against the Patriots and take a look at the biggest storylines heading into week one of the regular season.

Make sure you keep an eye out for the next episode of the Silver & Black Sports Network Podcast dropping on Tuesday at 11 a.m. (PST). During the season, we’ll release podcasts immediately after every Raiders game, and every Tuesday and Thursday at 11 a.m. every week when the Raiders have a game.

Catch ya next time,

Silver & Black Sports Network is an independent media outlet. We are not affiliated with, endorsed, or sponsored by the Las Vegas Raiders or the NFL.

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