One of the significant mysteries during the Las Vegas Raiders training camp was the unexplained absence of cornerback Brandon Facyson, who missed several weeks of practice with little information provided by the team.
When the Raiders trimmed their roster to 53 players, Facyson made the cut but was soon placed on Injured Reserve. On August 29, the team announced that with the addition of Darnay Holmes, they have decided to release Facyson with an injury settlement.
This is a setback for the Raiders, as Facyson was expected to compete with Jakorian Bennett for a starting cornerback position. The veteran cornerback, who started nine games for the Raiders in 2021 and returned to the team last year, played only three games due to injury and has struggled to stay healthy.
Facyson’s release now puts additional pressure on Bennett to perform well early in the season. Although he began the 2023 season as a starter, Bennett was benched after four games due to poor performance. Despite a strong training camp, Bennett still needs to prove himself in regular season games.
Could Las Vegas Raiders Bring Brandon Facyson Back?
The Raiders might consider bringing Brandon Facyson back later in the season if he regains his health. Facyson is a veteran cornerback who understands the team’s defensive system well and has strong ties to general manager Tom Telesco, who originally signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2018 while working with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Before the news of Facyson’s release, Telesco had expressed considerable praise for him, stating during his August 27 media availability, “Brandon [Facyson] has shown he’s been a starting-level corner in this league. He’s just had a tough run of luck the last couple of weeks. But when healthy, he’s been a really good player, so we’ll kind of see how it plays out from there.”
Given Facyson’s familiarity with the system and Telesco’s respect for his abilities, it’s likely that Facyson could be on the Raiders’ radar later in the season if he gets healthy.
Antonio Pierce Talks Darnay Holmes Signing
Holmes is a fitting replacement for Facyson, having already spent two years in defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s system in 2020 and 2021. Additionally, head coach Antonio Pierce has a long-standing connection with the cornerback.
“I’ve known Darnay [Holmes] since he was 13,” Pierce shared during his August 29 press conference. “I coached him on the 7-on-7 team when he was a freshman. I know his father, I know his family well, followed him throughout his career, spoke to him throughout his college process.”
One aspect that attracted Pierce to Holmes is his versatility. The Raiders seem to plan on utilizing Holmes in multiple defensive roles.
“Yeah, position flex. I mean, that’s key for us, right?” Pierce said of Holmes. “Really, the only guy we’ve got that can go inside-outside or outside-inside is Nate Hobbs. So, when you can add another player like that … it makes us a better overall unit.”
