OAKLAND – Nate Allen’s torn MCL sent the Raiders secondary into an early-season tailspin. The back end had been carefully mapped out, with Allen and Charles Woodson at safety and TJ Carrie and DJ Hayden on the perimeter at cornerback.
Allen’s injury in the regular-season opener left the Raiders looking to stabilize the back end. They tried Taylor Mays and Larry Asante in that spot, but didn’t like the results. TJ Carrie was moved to safety in Week 3, which helped. So did the addition of David Amerson, who took Carrie’s spot on the outside.
The Raiders mixed, matched and shuffled for eight weeks with Allen out, to varied levels of success.