One of the biggest mysteries of the Las Vegas Raiders training camp was the absence of cornerback Brandon Facyson. He essentially missed weeks of practice, but the team did not provide much details about it.
When the Raiders reduced the roster to 53 players, Facyson made the cut but was shortly moved to Injured Reserve. However, with the addition of Darnay Holmes, the organization has chosen to release Facyson with an injury settlement, according to a Las Vegas announcement on August 29.
This is a distressing situation for the Raiders, as Facyson was expected to compete with Jakorian Bennett for one of the starting outside cornerback positions. The veteran cornerback started nine games for the team in 2021 before returning last year. He has only played three games due to injuries and plainly struggles to remain healthy.
With Facyson’s release, Bennett will be under a lot of pressure to do well early in the season. He started the 2023 season and lasted four games before the Raiders benched him due to poor performance. Bennett had a solid training camp, but it will be difficult to trust him until he demonstrates success in regular-season games.
Could the Las Vegas Raiders bring Brandon Facyson back?
If Facyson recovers from his injuries later in the season, the Raiders may consider him again. He’s an experienced cornerback who understands the defence. He also has a close relationship with general manager Tom Telesco, who signed Facyson as an undrafted free agent in 2018 while working for the Los Angeles Chargers.
Prior to the news of Facyson’s dismissal, Telesco had high comments for the veteran cornerback.
“Yeah, I mean, Brandon [Facyson] has shown he’s been a starting-level corner in this league,” Telesco stated during a media availability on August 27. “So he’s just had a bad run of luck in the last few weeks.” But when healthy, he’s been a tremendously excellent player, so we’ll see how things go from there.”
Given his experience with the system and Telesco’s admiration for him, it appears that Facyson will be on the Raiders’ radar later in the season, if he is healthy.
Antonio Pierce Discusses Darnay Holmes Signing
Holmes is a logical alternative for Facyson, having spent two years with defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s defence in 2020 and 2021. Antonio Pierce, the head coach, has a longstanding relationship with the cornerback.
“I’ve known Darnay [Holmes] since he was 13,” Pierce stated at his August 29 press conference. “I coached him on the 7-on-7 squad as a freshman. I know his father and his family well; I watched him throughout his career and communicated with him during his college experience.”
Pierce admired Holmes’ adaptability. The Raiders appear to want to employ the cornerback in a variety of defensive positions.
“Yeah, positional flex. I mean, that is critical for us, right?” Pierce spoke about Holmes. “The only guy we have who can go inside-outside or outside-inside is Nate Hobbs.” “Adding a player like that improves our overall team performance.”
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