Raiders’ Erik Harris emerging as leader of secondary

The Raiders signed safety Damarious Randall during the offseason with the expectation he would win the starting job opposite second-year strong safety Johnathan Abram in an otherwise young secondary, Randall was expected to be a sage presence.

That plan never came to fruition, however, partly because of Randall’s inability to practice consistently during training camp but even more so because of the continued emergence of veteran Erik Harris.

The Raiders cut Randall last week, and Harris will go into Sunday’s season opener against the Carolina Panthers as the starter.

“I think it was more about what Erik Harris did than anything else,” Raiders general manager Mike Mayock said. “I think we sometimes overlook how valuable a player Erik Harris is.”

Randall certainly didn’t help his chances by not being on the field enough to make an impression. That opened the door for Harris to get the majority of first-team reps. He not only took advantage with his play, but he has come to be consistently recognized as one of the Raiders’ veteran leaders.

Harris started 14 games last year, a career high, and finished with 74 tackles and three interceptions, two of which he took back for touchdowns.

The experience of Harris becomes even more important in a young Raiders secondary that features Abram, who missed all but the season opener of his rookie season, Trayvon Mullen, a second-year cornerback who started 10 games last season, and rookie cornerback Damon Arnette.

“The more you look at Erik Harris … he’s a glue guy – not only for the entire team but specifically at the back end,” Mayock said. “He gets people lined up. He’s the best communicator we have back there, and he’s one of our top special teams players. Every year he’s had a challenge with people coming in and trying to take his .job. He’s just consistent, smart, tough. He will be a very difficult guy to supplant.”

Harris looks forward to lending a helping hand with a group that seems as conscientious as they are talented,

“They’re buying into the process. They’re buying into the scheme of what we’re trying to teach here,” Harris said. “They’re sponges. They listen. There’s no ego involved. It’s really encouraging just to see them go out and work every day.”

In particular, Arnette has been a bright spot. The Raiders were criticized in some draft circles for using the 19th pick overall to draft the former Ohio State standout. At the time, the perception is they reached for the 24-year-old defensive back.

Arnette, though, validated the Raiders’ faith by consistently playing well during training camp and taking immediate control of the starting job opposite Mullen. In doing so, he pushed veteran Prince Amukamara off the roster and is expected to start on Sunday.

“Damon was exactly what we thought he would be off tape, which was first of all, tough and competitive,” Mayock said. “And again, we use that word competitive all the time. We thought he was one of the toughest and most competitive corners in this draft, and he was that, and he will be that.”

Mayock said all the attributes are there for Arnette to be a long-time starter.

“He’s quick, he’s fast, he finds the ball in the air,” Mayock said. “And as he learns how to be a pro and consistently detail every step along the way, he has a chance to be special. He’s got a long way to go, but he’s got a chance.”

That said, Arnette and the Raiders’ young secondary have to prove they can translate what they’ve done on the practice field to actual games. In a condensed offseason and training camp due to COVID-19, they are taking a bit of a leap of faith at this point.

“We have so many young guys there that we think are pretty talented, competitive kids, and I think that’s been a really difficult position to evaluate without preseason games,” Mayock said. “To be honest with you, we are going to continue evaluating everywhere, but I can’t wait to see how our young guys respond against a really talented Carolina skill-position group.”

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore onTwitter.