Pete Carroll and John Spytek's vision for the secondary is beginning to show through following the Las Vegas Raiders' first batch of free agent signings.
The Silver and Black added safeties Jeremy Chinn and Lonnie Johnson Jr. into the fold on Thursday along with cornerback Eric Stokes, all three coming from the NFC.
Chinn most recently enjoyed the success of starting on a Washington Commanders team that made its first NFC Championship game appearance in over 30 years. Before his one-year stint in the nation's capital, he had four productive seasons with the Carolina Panthers, the team that drafted him in 2020.
Johnson, who also formerly played for the Carolina Panthers, is joining his fifth team in seven seasons. He primarily played on special teams for the Panthers in 2024, but has 19 career starts from his three seasons with the Houston Texans.
As for Stokes, he was a first-round draft pick by the Green Bay Packers in 2021, starting 32 games in his tenure there. After amassing 14 pass deflections his rookie season, injuries have limited him since.
Despite their three different paths to the Raiders, they all seemingly have two things in common: size and physicality.
Standing at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, Chinn is physically imposing. It's also worth noting he's joining a safety room alongside Isaiah Pola-Mao, who's 6-foot-4 with a 76.5 inch wingspan. Chinn has made a name for himself throughout his career for his ability to use his size to play multiple roles within a defense, lining up at nickel cornerback, free safety and box safety for at least 200 snaps at each position last season.
During his introductory press conference Thursday, he mentioned he could see himself in a role similar to how Pete Carroll use Pro Bowl safety Kam Chancellor in the Seattle Seahawks "Legion of Boom" defense.
"I would say just hearing Coach Carroll's plan, how he saw me featured in this defense and this team," Chinn said of his decision to sign with the Raiders. "So, it was very intriguing for me."
"[J]ust my skill set, and I mean, just being able to process a lot of different things throughout the defense," he added on what he provides for a defense. "Being able to play close to the line scrimmage and also being able to play deep and kind of understand what the defense is supposed to look like in different spots."
Johnson isn't much smaller than Chinn, standing at 6-foot-2, 212 pounds. After originally being drafted as a cornerback, he transitioned to safety while he was in Houston. The position change has been beneficial throughout his NFL career, giving him the ability to spread the field. He also links back up with defensive backs coach Marcus Robertson, who coached him in 2023 with the New Orleans Saints.
While his ultimate goal is to earn a prominent role in the Raiders defense, he said that won't stop him from bringing the "boom" any way he can.
"I'm just humbled to be here in that position," Johnson said. "I've been playing special teams the past few years, and I'm not going to just throw that away or be shy from that. I'm going to continue to do that at a high level and then when they give me my opportunity to play defense, I'm going to capitalize this time for sure."
"Playing special teams can be an energy spark for any team," he added. "So, if I go out there the first play, get a big hit - I call it a boom hit, like if the crowd give one of them 'Oohs' out of the crowd - if you ever heard that, I probably hit somebody out there. But once you do that, you can spark the energy to the defense. They come out there, get a three-and-out, now we've got momentum rolling."
And Stokes, you guessed it, is another physical defensive back.
He has speed that allows him to stick with a vast amount of receivers, showcased when he ran a 4.29 40-yard dash ahead of the 2021 Draft. He also prides himself on being able to set the tone at the line of scrimmage, a trait that the Raiders head coach has previously enjoyed with the likes of Richard Sherman and more recently, Pro Bowler Devon Witherspoon.
"Pretty much the defense that he wants to run, where he wants some guys to be able to play press man-to-man," Stokes said of wanting to come to Las Vegas. "I feel like that's my strongest thing that I could do is play press man-to-man with my speed, with my length and all that stuff. And the way that he wants to use me, taking it back to the old corners they used to have, Richard Sherman, [Byron] Maxwell and all the people who he brought up. So, I was like, yeah, this is the type of person that I want to be in with."
As for the injuries that plagued him early in his career, he's hoping to put that past him in the Silver and Black. He played a full 17 games in 2024, seizing the opportunity to re-establish himself as the lockdown cornerback he showcased he could be as a rookie.
"[A]t the end of the day, I'm going to laugh, I'm going to smile," Stokes said."Anytime you see me, I'm always happy. I'm always going to show respect to everybody, but in between them lines, I'm hungry. I'm a competitor. I hate to lose. So, at the end of the day, you are going to get a dog pretty much fighting."
View the best photos of the Las Vegas Raiders' 2025 free agency class and their day at headquarters.

Members of the Las Vegas Raiders' 2025 free agency class pose for a photo at Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters.

Safety Jeremy Chinn signs a contract with the Las Vegas Raiders at Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters.

Safety Jeremy Chinn signs a contract with the Las Vegas Raiders at Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters.

Safety Jeremy Chinn signs a contract with the Las Vegas Raiders at Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters.

Linebacker Elandon Roberts signs a contract with the Las Vegas Raiders at Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters.

Linebacker Elandon Roberts signs a contract with the Las Vegas Raiders at Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters.

Safety Lonnie Johnson Jr. signs a contract with the Las Vegas Raiders at Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters.

Safety Lonnie Johnson Jr. signs a contract with the Las Vegas Raiders at Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters.

Cornerback Eric Stokes signs a contract with the Las Vegas Raiders at Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters.

Cornerback Eric Stokes signs a contract with the Las Vegas Raiders at Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters.

Las Vegas Raiders safety Lonnie Johnson Jr. at a press conference at Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters.

Las Vegas Raiders safety Lonnie Johnson Jr. at a press conference at Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters.

Las Vegas Raiders safety Lonnie Johnson Jr. at a press conference at Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters.

Las Vegas Raiders safety Lonnie Johnson Jr. at a press conference at Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters.

Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Eric Stokes at a press conference at Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters.

Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Eric Stokes at a press conference at Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters.

Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Eric Stokes at a press conference at Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters.

Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Eric Stokes at a press conference at Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters.

Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Eric Stokes at a press conference at Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters.

Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Elandon Roberts at a press conference at Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters.

Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Elandon Roberts at a press conference at Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters.

Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Elandon Roberts at a press conference at Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters.

Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Elandon Roberts at a press conference at Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters.

Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Elandon Roberts at a press conference at Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters.

Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Elandon Roberts at a press conference at Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters.

Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Elandon Roberts at a press conference at Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters.

Las Vegas Raiders safety Jeremy Chinn at a press conference at Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters.

Las Vegas Raiders safety Jeremy Chinn at a press conference at Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters.