Tracy

Porter

Porter is also drawing interest from the Raiders and Saints. Rotoworld’s Evan Silva ranks Porter as the third-best cornerback remaining, behind only Ron Bartell and Aaron Ross. The latter has also visited Cincinnati.

The Saints don’t have the cap space to keep Porter, and his old position coach in New Orleans is now the head coach of the Raiders. Ross won’t be back with the Giants after they re-signed Terrell Thomas on Tuesday.

Porter is tight with new Raiders coach Dennis Allen from their time together in New Orleans, and he has versatility to cover outside and the slot. Oakland is actively trying to upgrade a cornerback corps short on experience aside from Ron Bartell. Demarcus Van Dyke is currently No. 2 on the depth chart.

Porter had his best years in the league when current Raiders head coach Dennis Allen was coaching DBs in New Orleans. Oakland had all kinds of trouble at right cornerback this past season, rotating Chris Johnson, rookie Demarcus Van Dyke, and finally Lito Sheppard at the position. It’s the same spot Porter played in New Orleans. He also has the ability to cover the slot.

Outside of SS Tyvon Branch, the entire secondary may be rebuilt. New coach Dennis Allen has a history with Saints free agent CB Tracy Porter. Beat writer Steve Corkran has listed Marques Colston and Vincent Jackson as viable options at receiver if they reach the open market.

The Raiders need help at just about every position, but they have a glaring need at corner. They currently don’t have a single natural, starting-caliber corner on their roster. Porter languished behind Champ Bailey, Chris Harris and Tony Carter in Denver last season, so he could be had on the cheap. Raiders head coach Dennis Allen was Porter’s position coach in New Orleans from 2008-10.

The Dolphins also recently “made an inquiry” on Porter. The 26-year-old corner played for Raiders head coach Dennis Allen in New Orleans, and Oakland is in dire shape in the secondary. Porter should be amenable to a cheap deal.

This, after he visited the Saints on Monday. Per ESPN’s Bill Williamson, both teams “want” Porter, and a decision is expected shortly. Porter would be in for major snaps with either team.

Porter, 28 in August, started all 16 games for Oakland in 2013, playing 1,016 snaps. It was the first time in his career Porter played a full season, and the results weren’t pretty. He graded out 105th in Pro Football Focus’ 110-man cornerback rankings, and an abominable 106th in pass coverage. Porter has experience at both outside and slot corner. With DeAngelo Hall and David Amerson on the perimeter, Porter will likely replace Josh Wilson at nickel.

Chalk up a quality signing for Oakland. Although Porter fell out of favor in Denver following his strange medical issues, the 26-year-old is a capable right corner that can play the slot in nickel formations. He’s made 43 career starts and was a key piece of the Saints’ 2009 Super Bowl team. The Raiders still have one of the league’s worst secondaries. Their current projected starting corners are Porter and Phillip Adams, with Coye Francies at free safety.