CLICK HERE if you are having a problem viewing the photos on a mobile device
The Raiders have signed veteran cornerback Nevin Lawson, the team announced Wednesday night.
Lawson has played for the Lions since 2014 and joins a young Raiders cornerbacks group led by 23-year-old Gareon Conley and 24-year-old Daryl Worley. Lawson, who turns 28 in April, started 46 of 47 games he played in for the Lions over the last three seasons (46 regular season games and one playoff game).
He registered 18 passes defensed and 152 total tackles while playing both outside cornerback and in the slot, though he’s never intercepted a pass in 63 career games since 2014.
Lawson joins former Lions teammate Tahir Whitehead on a Raiders defense that has added two veterans in the last two days after a flurry of offensive signings early in free agency. Oakland’s defensive additions since the beginning of the 2019 league year now consist of defensive back Lamarcus Joyner, linebacker Vontaze Burfict, Lawson and defensive end Josh Mauro.
Lawson figures to mentor Conley and Worley, the presumed frontrunners to start on the outside. But Lawson brings experience in the slot, an area filled by Leon Hall (unrestricted free agent), Marcus Gilchrist (unrestricted free agent) and Nick Nelson (entering his second season after rocky rookie year) last season. Joyner can also play in the slot, so Paul Guenther has a couple interchangeable pieces to work with as he builds his defense.
The Raiders still have picks Nos. 4, 24, 27 and 35 in next month’s draft, where they’re sure to add an edge rusher and more defensive help to round out what has already been a productive offseason.
