Which teams in the AFC West have the best cornerback trios ahead of the 2023 NFL season? At this point in time, this might be one of the clearest pecking orders in the division, outside of perhaps the QB position.
The Denver Broncos have some outstanding young cornerbacks as well as some solid veterans, and they stack up quite well not only against the rest of the AFC West but also against other cornerback units in the NFL. But are they the best in the division?
Ranking every AFC West cornerback trio from worst to best in 2023
4. Las Vegas Raiders
Nate Hobbs, Duke Shelley, David Long Jr.
Forget having one of the worst cornerback trios in the AFC West, the Las Vegas Raiders might have the worst trios of cornerbacks in the entire NFL. To his credit, however, Nate Hobbs has quickly developed into a very good player at the NFL level and has been outstanding from the slot.
A former fifth-round pick out of Illinois, Hobbs is a tough, physical corner who is not afraid to come up in run support and can even put some pressure on the quarterback. He has 146 tackles and five QB hits in his first two NFL seasons along with six tackles for loss and a pair of forced fumbles, but he doesn't have many plays on the ball. He has just seven passes broken up and one interception in two seasons with the Raiders.
Duke Shelley and David Long Jr. come over to join the Raiders' secondary this season after they were part-time starters in Minnesota and Los Angeles last year, respectively. Although those guys have been solid in their NFL careers, it's going to take a pretty significant jump for either of them this season to get this unit ranked above 4th-best in the division.