Could Richardson become a surprise starter?

2nd-year cornerback has been a standout so far in training camp

A lot is up in the air when it comes to the Las Vegas Raiders’ cornerback rotation this season. It’s a young position group, and every starting spot is seemingly up for grabs. Still, heading into training camp, most people didn’t expect second-year corner Decamerion Richardson to be a major factor in the competition. However, he currently looks like one of the favorites to start in Week 1.

“The rotation for reps at starting outside cornerback has largely consisted of Richardson, Eric Stokes and Darien Porter,” The Athletic’s Tashan Reed reported on July 29. “Stokes has been on the field the most, while Porter and Richardson have been rotating frequently. Jakorian Bennett has been the fourth cornerback. Richardson struggled as a rookie but looks a lot more comfortable this year.

It’s also been reported that the Mississippi State product came up with an interception during one of the Raiders’ full team periods and has looked sharp during the team’s first two padded practices of training camp.

As Reed noted above, Richardson had a tough first season in the NFL. He didn’t see the field defensively until Week 7 and ended up allowing a 66.7 completion percentage and 407 receiving yards when targeted in 11 games, according to Pro Football Focus.

But the former Bulldog was considered a project coming out of college, and he’s impressed the Raiders’ coaching staff with his work ethic so far.

“The thing about Cam (Richardson), he works really hard,” defensive coordinator Patrick Graham said on July 27. “He corrects his mistakes. He has all the tools. He’s long, he’s fast, he’s physical. We’ll evaluate that a little bit more, but I’m just really pleased with the progress he’s made from rookie year to now.”

Building on that, head coach Pete Carroll has also sung the second-year pro’s praises.

“[He’s] ascending,” Carroll replied when asked about Richardson on July 29. “D-Cam, he’s been doing a really nice job, he’s had some really competitive plays, he’s won some one-on-ones just in the first couple days of pads here. … It’s good, positive to start with.”

One difference between this year’s camp and last year’s for the Louisiana native is that he has a familiar face to turn to. Richardson and free-agent addition, linebacker Devin White, are first cousins.

Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images

Per White, they’ve been driving to and from practice together, eating meals together and talking with each other. Presumptively, that allows the younger cousin (by three years) to pick the six-year NFL veteran’s brain, which clearly has been paying off.

The linebacker said he’s “very pleased” with how the cornerback has performed so far. But, at the same time, he’s making sure his little cousin doesn’t get a big head.

“[I’m] very proud of D-Cam,” White said. “He’s been a good player all his life, a great player all his life, and we’re just going to continue to grow, and hopefully we can do it together right here.

“…It’s in the blood, but I’m not going to let him take no shortcuts. I’m on him all the time. He caught a pick the other day in practice, but he got like a good catch caught on him by a tight end, Brock [Bowers]. And I was like, ‘Nah, that pick don’t count,’

“…It’s just holding him to that higher standard. Like man, we can’t go one for one, we’ve got to go one for none every time. And that’s our standard, that’s our mindset, not just being family, but being teammates. I’m going to hold [him] to that regard. And I know I can push him a little harder, because he is family, and at the end of the day, he knows that it’s real love, like real, real love.”

The video above shows the catch Bowers made over Richardson, and it seems like White is being a little harsh on his cousin. Richardson was in a good position; it was just a better throw and catch by quarterback Geno Smith and Bowers.

However, the second-year pro could benefit from the mindset that his family member is trying to instill in him. Ball skills are one of the biggest areas of improvement for him, and while he’s shown growth in that department with the previously mentioned interception, it was the difference between completion and incompletion in the rep against Bowers.

Additionally, Carroll favors cornerbacks who can swat passes out of the air or come down with interceptions. So, continuing to improve in this area could go a long way toward Richardson finishing the job in training camp, emerging as a surprise Week 1 starter.