Off-season priorities - #3 Cornerback

[London Loves Luke]

So far we've seen all of the FA/draft focus on OT and WR, there's no doubting these are our #1 and #2 needs this off season. 

 

Well for the football purists out there, LLL is here to bring you a mini series of our other priorities. With some cutting edge analysis and stolen salary cap information, I will be attempting to provide the insight that Bleacher Report just won't give you. 

 

 

Onto cornerbacks...

 

 

1. On the roster: 

 

There is no doubting that we have a ridiculously cheap and young cornerback group, with an average age of 24.5 and a total salary cap going into 2015 of $3m across 6 players. 

 

Norman (27) and Benwikere (23) have shown starting caliber and will no doubt be starting next year. The main question for these guys is Norman's contract going into 2016 and whether Bene starts in the slot next year. 

 

Norman will be looking for a longer term extension, and the team will have to weigh up his potential from his 2014 performances vs his less than stellar 2013. A few things going in Gman's favor in the contract negotiations will be Norman's interest in playing for Carolina and the fact he has only had 2 seasons as a starter so far. 

Still, Norman will be looking for a long term extension, and if he continues to produce like he did in 2014, he could demand serious T2 money. Depending on his consistency next year, he could be looking at a 3-4 year, $5-7m average.

 

Beyond these two we have:

Melvin White (24) - plays the run well, but doesn't have the speed and hasn't yet shown the competitor mentality to be a true outside coverage corner

James Dockery (26) - Has had a few games but never really stood out in coverage

Carrington Byndom (22) - Very young and has the speed and length to be a decent coverage corner, but doesn't play with enough strength and is not great against the run

De'Andre Presley (25) - The great QB/WR/CB experiment

Louis Young (23) - New Future contract signing

 

If Bene does move to the slot, then there's no doubt we'll need to sign another proven outside corner to play opposite Norman. 

 

I'm a big believer in letting players play in their most comfortable positions, and while Colin Jones did ok at slot CB when called upon, I think he was a liabiity in zone when he had to rely more on his positioning and less on his speed to match a receiver.  

 

2. Draft:

 

Will be updated post combine.

 

At the moment, there are few stand out corners in this draft, but this doesn't mean there aren't serviceable starters in rounds 2-4. 

 

The best prospects with the size and speed to play outside contain Trae Waynes, Kevin Johnson, Eric Rowe and Ifo-Ekpre Olomu. While most of these guys carry a early second to third round grade, there are some guys with off the field question marks that could be considered for later rounds. 

 

3. Free Agency

 

The CB free agent pool this year in my view is second in depth only to the WR group, but the drop off in talent after the top 10 is pretty steep. This might mean GMan takes an experimental, short term approach to CB FAs for 2015, as a stop gap for an incoming rookie. 

 

Chris Culliver is the only viable option to me from the top 10 prospects. After his injury in 2013, he came back in 2014 and was used by SF to cover opposing number 1s like Larry Fitzgerald and improved as the year went on. 

 

Its likely that he'll have a lot of teams looking at him if SF decide not to keep both him and Cox on for 2015, but he would be an absolute steal for a long term $4-5m a year contract given his age and the fact he's coming off that 2013 injury. 

 

But, given what we know about Norman's potential extension, and the fact we spent a total of $600k on CB last FA, I'm not sure Gman will look to spend big this off season on someone like Culliver. 

 

Walter Thurmond is another player coming off injury for the Giants. He's not played a huge amount of games throughout his career and could see himself not getting many more games at the Giants behind Prince and Rodgers-Cromartie. With his contract currently at $3m, he'd probably be looking at a pay cut and may be tempted by more play time. Plays physical and has decent experience, so maybe a look to start. 

 

Sterling Moore is a young guy at Dallas who showed a lot of potential and played with fire and good attitude when he got his opportunity to start last year. He would be a gamble, but has proven he can play at the level and could probably be had for a relatively small (~$2m) contract if he gets game time. Would definitely be worth a look if we don't want to draft CB higher than round 5.  

 

Other guys to be considered as cheap 1-2 year fill ins: Zach Bowman (NY) - didn't have a great year last year but good experience and Brandon Harris (TEN)- former 2nd rounder for the Titans

[t96]

CB isn't one of our top 5 needs even.

[London Loves Luke]

CB isn't one of our top 5 needs even.

 

Not sure I can name 5 positions above CB, WR and OT are the only places we have glaring holes. 

[4Corners]

So far we've seen all of the FA/draft focus on OT and WR, there's no doubting these are our #1 and #2 needs this off season. 

 

Well for the football purists out there, LLL is here to bring you a mini series of our other priorities. With some cutting edge analysis and stolen salary cap information, I will be attempting to provide the insight that Bleacher Report just won't give you. 

 

 

Onto cornerbacks...

 

1. On the roster: 

 

There is no doubting that we have a ridiculously cheap and young cornerback group, with an average age of 24.5 and a total salary cap going into 2015 of $3m across 6 players. 

 

Norman (27) and Benwikere (23) have shown starting caliber and will no doubt be starting next year. The main question for these guys is Norman's contract going into 2016 and whether Bene starts in the slot next year. 

 

Norman will be looking for a longer term extension, and the team will have to weigh up his potential from his 2014 performances vs his less than stellar 2013. A few things going in Gman's favor in the contract negotiations will be Norman's interest in playing for Carolina and the fact he has only had 2 seasons as a starter so far. 

Still, Norman will be looking for a long term extension, and if he continues to produce like he did in 2014, he could demand serious T2 money. Depending on his consistency next year, he could be looking at a 3-4 year, $5-7m average.

 

Beyond these two we have:

Melvin White (24) - plays the run well, but doesn't have the speed and hasn't yet shown the competitor mentality to be a true outside coverage corner

James Dockery (26) - Has had a few games but never really stood out in coverage

Carrington Byndom (22) - Very young and has the speed and length to be a decent coverage corner, but doesn't play with enough strength and is not great against the run

De'Andre Presley (25) - The great QB/WR/CB experiment

Louis Young (23) - New Future contract signing

 

If Bene does move to the slot, then there's no doubt we'll need to sign another proven outside corner to play opposite Norman. 

 

I'm a big believer in letting players play in their most comfortable positions, and while Colin Jones did ok at slot CB when called upon, I think he was a liabiity in zone when he had to rely more on his positioning and less on his speed to match a receiver.  

 

2. Draft:

 

Will be updated post combine.

 

At the moment, there are few stand out corners in this draft, but this doesn't mean there aren't serviceable starters in rounds 2-4. 

 

The best prospects with the size and speed to play outside contain Trae Waynes, Kevin Johnson, Eric Rowe and Ifo-Ekpre Olomu. While most of these guys carry a early second to third round grade, there are some guys with off the field question marks that could be considered for later rounds. 

 

3. Free Agency

 

The CB free agent pool this year in my view is second in depth only to the WR group, but the drop off in talent after the top 10 is pretty steep. This might mean GMan takes an experimental, short term approach to CB FAs for 2015, as a stop gap for an incoming rookie. 

 

Chris Culliver is the only viable option to me from the top 10 prospects. After his injury in 2013, he came back in 2014 and was used by SF to cover opposing number 1s like Larry Fitzgerald and improved as the year went on. 

 

Its likely that he'll have a lot of teams looking at him if SF decide not to keep both him and Cox on for 2015, but he would be an absolute steal for a long term $4-5m a year contract given his age and the fact he's coming off that 2013 injury. 

 

But, given what we know about Norman's potential extension, and the fact we spent a total of $600k on CB last FA, I'm not sure Gman will look to spend big this off season on someone like Culliver. 

 

Walter Thurmond is another player coming off injury for the Giants. He's not played a huge amount of games throughout his career and could see himself not getting many more games at the Giants behind Prince and Rodgers-Cromartie. With his contract currently at $3m, he'd probably be looking at a pay cut and may be tempted by more play time. Plays physical and has decent experience, so maybe a look to start. 

 

Sterling Moore is a young guy at Dallas who showed a lot of potential and played with fire and good attitude when he got his opportunity to start last year. He would be a gamble, but has proven he can play at the level and could probably be had for a relatively small (~$2m) contract if he gets game time. Would definitely be worth a look if we don't want to draft CB higher than round 5.  

 

Other guys to be considered as cheap 1-2 year fill ins: Zach Bowman (NY) - didn't have a great year last year but good experience and Brandon Harris (TEN)- former 2nd rounder for the Titans

 

 

After Bene and Norman - that list of corners we have is as bad as it gets in the league. 

[London Loves Luke]

After Bene and Norman - that list of corners we have is as bad as it gets in the league. 

 

I'd say "bad" is a little unfair. Inexperienced and untested, yes, but I don't think the likes of Byndom or Dockery have proven themselves good or bad yet.

[Captain Obvious]

I agree. CB is a pressing need. Not only for a possible starter but we need some to fill out special teams. We need a boost in overall team speed. Looking to see us draft one and maybe sign one (low level).

[Montsta]

Culliver got destroyed in SF's super bowl a few years back, and hates women and gay people.

Not sure if the FO looks in his direction but I could certainly be wrong.

[London Loves Luke]

Culliver got destroyed in SF's super bowl a few years back, and hates women and gay people.

Not sure if the FO looks in his direction but I could certainly be wrong.

 

Well he is from SC so he'd be right at home. 

[t96]

Not sure I can name 5 positions above CB, WR and OT are the only places we have glaring holes. 

 

Top 3 by far are OT, WR, and safety. Then I, and many others, would argue that DE, DT depth and OLB are all bigger needs than corner if we lockup Norman (which we will). Bene will start outside with Colin Jones back at nickel. Jones is a beast in that buffalo package and it fits his skill set insanely well. Our defense is built around pressure on the QB and stopping the run. So DT depth since we have no one in the rotation now behind Star and KK, and DE which was elite with Hardy but wasn't last year at all, are way more important than CB. And CJ could be gone soon if we can't workout a way to get his cap hit down then DE becomes by far our biggest need (assuming we've addressed OT). Ealy has shown some promise but is very far from a sure thing, Horton and Addison are trash, and no one knows what will happen with Big Frank. 

[Bj-Monster23]

CB isn't one of our top 5 needs even.

 

I wish I could agree with you on this but I can't. I think CB is a need and we will either draft someone or bring someone in via free agency. I really like what Josh Norman did last year and when he got the chance to play he was nothing short of a shutdown CB. Bene was a steal to get in the draft, but i'm still not sure if he has the speed or the height to play on the outside especially in our division with those bigger and taller WR for long term. In my opinion, I believe Bene is best suited to play the slot and the Panthers should look to bring in a taller CB to play opposite of Josh Norman. I think the Panthers will look at guy in free agency like Chris Culliver who is from Garner, NC and could be one of those low risk high reward type of players. If not, I think there is some really good talent in this year draft at CB. If Quinten Rollins is there in second round, I would love to snag the former PG who had an outstanding season at CB out of Miami Ohio. Rollins stock could rise in this draft. He had a good senior bowl and is expected to put up some good numbers at the combine. I think he goes late 1 or 2 round in the draft.

 

[London Loves Luke]

Top 3 by far are OT, WR, and safety. Then I, and many others, would argue that DE, DT depth and OLB are all bigger needs than corner if we lockup Norman (which we will). Bene will start outside with Colin Jones back at nickel. Jones is a beast in that buffalo package and it fits his skill set insanely well. Our defense is built around pressure on the QB and stopping the run. So DT depth since we have no one in the rotation now behind Star and KK, and DE which was elite with Hardy but wasn't last year at all, are way more important than CB. And CJ could be gone soon if we can't workout a way to get his cap hit down then DE becomes by far our biggest need (assuming we've addressed OT). Ealy has shown some promise but is very far from a sure thing, Horton and Addison are trash, and no one knows what will happen with Big Frank. 

 

Sorry T, but disagree with most of this. 

 

I see our priority ranks as OT, WR, CB, DE/S, DT

 

OT/WR is self explanatory. 

 

CB - I agree Colin Jones was decent in man coverage from the slot, but our Buffalo package requires zone coverage for intermediate routes, where Jones got confused a fair amount of times last season. You can't steal a safety from our roster, call him a slot CB and say safety is a bigger need.

 

DE/S - We have starters in these positions at the moment - Boston/Harper/Jones will most probably start next season and they all have playing time under their belt. Harper most probably will start regardless of people's complaints because he keeps the young group together. 

We have CJ and Ealy as DEs this season, and enough depth with playing time to spell if needed. Yes, it would be nice to have a vet to help Ealy, but I don't think its happening this season unless we keep Hardy. Guy's gonna have a baptism of fire and hopefully he comes out stronger because of it. 

 

DT - we just need bench depth, not exactly a huge need. 

 

[Udogg]

I think getting a CB is a huge need and addressing it could solve other issues by default. 

 

 

Allow us to Bene back at slot where he excels

Puts Collin Jones at safety where his speed would be huge.

Gives up depth at the CB position.

Gets Roman Harper off the field.

Makes secondary faster.

[Mol3m4n]

1. OT

2. WR

3. SS

4. OLB

5. DE

Switched CB to DE.

[Bj-Monster23]

Top 3 by far are OT, WR, and safety. Then I, and many others, would argue that DE, DT depth and OLB are all bigger needs than corner if we lockup Norman (which we will). Bene will start outside with Colin Jones back at nickel. Jones is a beast in that buffalo package and it fits his skill set insanely well. Our defense is built around pressure on the QB and stopping the run. So DT depth since we have no one in the rotation now behind Star and KK, and DE which was elite with Hardy but wasn't last year at all, are way more important than CB. And CJ could be gone soon if we can't workout a way to get his cap hit down then DE becomes by far our biggest need (assuming we've addressed OT). Ealy has shown some promise but is very far from a sure thing, Horton and Addison are trash, and no one knows what will happen with Big Frank. 

 

Safety is definitely a need but the safety position is not very good at all in this year draft class. Like you stated in another thread Landon Collins is by far the best safety in the draft and some people will say he could be better suited to play OLB but the production and talent drops off after Collins. I look for Gettleman to bring in another safety via free agency because i expect Thomas Decoud to be cut and Roman Harper is Roman Harper, but you can't assume he will play at a high level next season. I know this name might surprise you or anyone who reads this post, but I actually wouldn't mind someone like Taylor Mays who will be a free agent March 10. Taylor Mays reminds me so much of Mike Mitchell he strong and fast as well as a heavy hitter. His coverage skills concerns me like Mitchell did but I think Steve Wilks can find away to improve that. If our DLine can regain back to 2013 form, Mays could be very good in the back end of our defense if the Panthers were to take that low risk high reward chance.