Free Agency 2020 – Corners
March 4, 2020
by Alex Zeese and Steve Thomas
This column is our latest contribution to our ongoing free agency preview series. Here’s the list of what we’ve covered so far:
● Quarterbacks: Click here
● Running Backs: Click here
● Wide Receivers: Click here
● Middle Linebackers: Click here
● Outside Linebackers: Click here
● Tackles: Click here
● Guards: Click here
The Current Situation
The defensive backfield was maybe the biggest weak point of the Redskins roster last year. Quinton Dunbar can be an elite corner when healthy. He’s a player who can use his size as an advantage against some of the top wideouts in the league. He has missed 14 games in the last two years due to injury, but at 27, he still should have a few good years left in him, IF the team’s new medical staff can get his health right. Dunbar is in the last year of his deal and has been playing hardball with the new coaching staff, looking for a new deal, and even asking for a trade as leverage. Trading him would be a huge mistake, in no small part because the Redskins don’t have much left behind him. Josh Norman never lived up to that monster contract, and the last staff wasn’t able to figure out how to use him properly. Fabian Moreau did not work out as a slot corner but was serviceable on the outside. After those top three players, are just mostly unproven, back of the draft depth type players such as Jimmy Morland, Danny Johnson, and others. Most worrisome is that Moreau and Dunbar are both in the final year of their contracts.
Steve and Alex see different approaches to the corner position in free agency this year. Steve thinks the Redskins should prioritize outside corners, and Alex sees the bigger need being slot corners, but frankly the team is desperate for help both inside and outside. Based on the lack of many players under contract for 2021, Washington needs long term solutions across the board.
As usual, we’ve excluded anyone over the age of 31, not because the Redskins will necessarily do this, but as a young and building team, they are better served by recruiting players who are at least somewhat on the younger side. We’ve also excluded exclusive rights free agents because it’s essentially impossible to pry these players away from their current teams if those teams choose to keep them. Without further ado, here are the highlights of this year’s cornerback class:
James Bradberry, 6’1” / 212, 26, Carolina: Bradberry was drafted in the second round of the 2016 draft out of Samford by the Carolina Panthers. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.50 seconds and jumped 36 inches in the vertical leap at the 2016 Combine. Bradberry has played and started 60 games in his 4-year career, and has 279 tackles, including 222 solos, and 8 interceptions. In 2019, he made 65 tackles, with 51 solos, and 3 interceptions. Speculation is that Bradberry is the top Redskins’ target at cornerback. His familiarity with Ron Rivera’s defense would be a big benefit to the team. There are plenty of rumors already of him making his way to D.C., and it’s a safe bet that the Redskins will at least give Bradberry’s agent a phone call or two. However, he’s looking for a big contract, in the $15M per year range, and even though the Redskins could afford it right now, they also need to consider that they will need to pay Dunbar to keep him around too.
Byron Jones, 6’0” / 205, 27, Dallas: Jones is the biggest name in the class. He was Dallas’ first-round draft pick out of Connecticut in 2015. In his five seasons in the NFL, he’s played in 79 games, starting 73, with a total of 349 tackles, 43 passes defended, and 2 interceptions. He earned Second-Team All-Pro honors and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2018. Jones is an off-the-charts athlete – at the 2015 NFL Combine, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds and jumped an incredible 12’3” in the standing broad jump, which remains the all-time Combine record, and jumped 44.5 inches in the vertical leap. Jones is the Cowboys’ starting right side corner. He obviously isn’t a ballhawk, but has excellent all-around coverage skills and would be a fine addition to the Redskins secondary. He played the 2019 season on a one-year contract after Dallas exercised its fifth-year option, and all things being equal, the Cowboys most likely want to keep him; however, with both quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver Amari Cooper also about to enter free agency, Dallas isn’t going to have a franchise tag to play, and Jones is going to be third on their priority list and subject to salary cap limitations. As a result, the Cowboys seem resigned to losing Jones. Spotrac pegs his market value at $14.1M in average annual value, and we agree. That number would put him third in the NFL at his position. Therefore, to sign him, Washington is probably going to have to beat Truamine Johnson’s 5 year / $72.5M contract with the Jets signed prior to the 2018 season. Jones won’t be cheap, and he will be chased by several teams, but he would fill the #1 corner slot the Redskins need while simultaneously making Dallas worse, which is an added bonus.
Chris Harris Jr, 5’10” / 199, 30, Denver: Harris was a 2011 undrafted free agent out of Kansas who was originally signed by the Broncos. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds at the Kansas pro day in 2011. Harris is a top-end free agent candidate, with 4 Pro Bowl selections, one First-Team All-Pro honor in 2016, and 2 Second Team All-Pro honors in 2014 and 2015. In his 9 year career, he has played in 139 games, with 121 starts, 518 tackles, including 418 solo tackles, and 20 interceptions, with 4 returned for touchdowns. In 2019, he started at the left corner position for the Broncos and made 56 tackles and 1 interception. Harris has obviously been a high performer throughout his career and has remained more or less healthy and injury-free throughout his career. Spotrac pegs him at an $11M average annual value, which is probably reasonable given his history of production and lack of dropoff in performance despite his age.
Mike Hilton, 5′ 9″ / 184, 26, Pittsburgh: Hilton is a restricted free agent so we will have to see what Pittsburg does first. However, he is a reliable slot corner who allowed completions at a rate of just 54% and an 84.8 quarterback rating last season. Hilton has a good sense of where his receiver is while still keeping his eyes on the quarterback. He’s a smaller player, which is fine in the slot as long as he’s matched up on slot receivers, but having to match up against tight ends could be a problem.
Brian Poole, 5’10” / 213, 27, New York Jets: Poole began his career as an undrafted free agent with Atlanta in 2016 and then signed for one season with the New York Jets. He started 10 games with the Jets last year. Poole was frequently targeted last year, 64 times, and allowed 431 yards. In some ways, his story is similar to Quinton Dunbar – he’s a guy who was undrafted and a bit of an unknown to the NFL but has surpassed any expectations. Poole is great at pressuring quarterbacks as well.
Kendall Fuller, 5’11” / 198, 25, Kansas City: Fuller, the Redskins refugee who was part of the Alex Smith trade two years ago, was the Chiefs’ starting slot corner last season. He was Washington’s third-round pick out of Virginia Tech in 2016 and has played a total of 55 games, starting 31, with 228 tackles, including 173 solos, and 6 interceptions. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds at the 2016 NFL Combine. Fuller was a fan favorite in DC who is still talked about to this day. It’s safe to say that Fuller is thought of as being more successful with the Redskins than he’s been with the Chiefs, in that when Fuller was traded, he was viewed as an elite young talent. Fuller struggled as Kansas City never quite used him correctly, at times moving him to safety, but in his past life in D.C., we know that he was a great slot corner, a key position that the Redskins have struggled to fill properly. However last year was one of the worst seasons he’s ever had: he allowed a QB rating of 131.6, which is really, really, really, really bad.
Logan Ryan, 5’11” / 195, 29, Tennessee: Ryan was a third-round pick by the New England Patriots out of Rutgers in 2013. He spent four years with the Patriots, then signed a three year, $30M contract with the Tennessee Titans. In total, Ryan has played in 109 games, starting 85, with 494 tackles, 11 sacks, and 17 interceptions. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.56 seconds at the 2013 NFL Combine. Bryant isn’t an elite cover corner but is remarkably consistent. At 29 he’s no long term answer, but could be a great veteran outside corner for one or two years upon whom the Redskins could rely on while they continue to build up this roster. Ryan wouldn’t expect a contract in the range of either Jones or Bradberry, but he had a decent 2019 season and won’t have to take a pay cut, so the Redskins could expect a deal in the range of at least $10M per year in average annual value.
Bashaud Breeland, 5’11” / 195, 28, Kansas City: Breeland was Washington’s fourth-round pick out of Clemson in 2014. The Redskins allowed him to leave via free agency after the 2017 season. He agreed to a 3 year, $24M contract with the Carolina Panthers, only to have the deal suspiciously voided when he failed his physical due to a cut foot that became infected. He later signed a one year, minimum value deal with the Packers for the 2018 season, then agreed to a one year, $2M deal with Kansas City for 2019. In something of a surprise, Breeland earned the starting job as the Chiefs’ left side corner and had a solid year on a championship team. In his career, he’s played in a total of 83 games, starting 78, with 338 tackles and 12 interceptions, including 2 returned for touchdowns. We don’t view Breeland as a real #1 corner; he is a legitimate starter but is probably best as a #2. At this point in his career, Breeland is almost certainly going to be looking for some stability with a long term deal, but his value will be below that of the top corners in the class, so he could represent a good pickup for the corner-starved Redskins.
Bradley Roby, 5’11” / 194, 28 in May, Houston: Roby was the first round pick out of Ohio St. by the Denver Broncos in 2014. The Broncos exercised their fifth-year option on Roby in 2018, but then let him walk after that season, and he signed a one year, $10M contract with the Texans for 2019. In his career, Roby has played in 89 games, starting 39, and has made 274 tackles and 9 interceptions, including 3 that he returned for touchdowns. In 2019, Roby played and started in 10 games, with 38 tackles and 2 interceptions, including 1 pick 6, but missed 6 games due to a hamstring injury. He is versatile and highly athletic, running the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds, posting 17 bench press reps, and jumping 38.5 inches in the vertical leap at the 2014 NFL Combine. Roby took a few years to develop into a starter in Denver, but he has the physical profile of a #1 corner, and despite things not quite working out the way he wanted in Denver, he’ll probably seek a long-term deal at a value below that of Jones and Bradberry. Roby had a good season for ten games in Houston last year but struggled the year before with Denver.
Rashaan Melvin, 6’2” / 194, 30, Detroit: Melvin was signed as an undrafted free agent by Tampa Bay out of Northern Illinois in 2013. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds at his pro day and posted a 38-inch vertical leap. Melvin has bounced around the league ever since that time, with other stops in Miami, Baltimore, New England, Indianapolis, Oakland, and Detroit. Throughout his career, Melvin has played a total of 64 games, with 40 starts, and has made 244 tackles and 4 interceptions. He signed with the Lions in 2019 on a one year, $2.5M prove-it deal, and played 13 games, starting 12, with 68 tackles. Melvin has the body type and athletic profile of an outside starter but has had some significant ups and downs throughout his career, in particular over the last two years with Oakland and Detroit, so the Redskins shouldn’t necessarily expect elite performance from him. However, Melvin will come cheap and has been more or less healthy throughout his career, so if Washington can’t land a more established starter, he might be viewed as a viable option to play opposite Quinton Dunbar.
Trae Waynes, 6’0” / 190, 27, Minnesota: Waynes was the Vikings’ 2015 first-round pick out of Michigan St. In his five-year career, he’s played in 74 games, with 53 stars, and has made 247 tackles and 7 interceptions. Waynes absolutely demolished the testing portion of the 2015 NFL Combine, running the 40-yard dash in 4.31 seconds, doing 19 bench press reps, and jumping 38 inches in the vertical leap and 10’2” in the standing broad jump. The Vikings saw enough to exercise his fifth-year option for the 2019 season, and Waynes responded by playing and starting 14 games, with 58 tackles and 1 interception. Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer recently indicated that he’d like Waynes to return to Minnesota; however, the team is cap-limited and is therefore expected to let Waynes get to free agency. He hasn’t been great, or even good at times, but he will probably seek a lucrative contract in free agency. He’s another player for whom the Redskins definitely shouldn’t overpay, but if his options don’t materialize, they could try and grab Waynes for a one-year prove-it deal. He isn’t guy a team should expect to make a ton of interceptions, as evidenced by is seven in five seasons. He had a down year last year, allowing 74% completions and a QB rating of 107.9. Waynes is much better in a zone situation, where he keeps guys in front of him.
Ross Cockrell, 6’0” / 190, 28, Carolina: Cockrell was the 2014 fourth-round pick out of Duke by the Buffalo Bills. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.56 seconds at the 2014 NFL Combine. The Bills released him after his rookie year, but he caught on with the Steelers right before the 2015 season, earning significant playing time and a contract extension for 2016. The Steelers then issued him a tender offer for 2017, then traded him to the Giants. Cockrell signed a two year, $6.6M deal with Carolina for the 2018 and 2019 seasons, but then broke his leg in 2018 training camp and missed the entire season. In total, he’s played 68 games, starting 43, with 219 tackles and 7 interceptions, including 2 returned for touchdowns. Cockrell is on the older side compared to the rest of the players listed here. If he wasn’t coming off a season in Carolina we’d probably skip over him. He’s a career journeyman, but he’s a decent enough corner, plays well in tight coverage and allowed only 55% of passes his way to be complete on 67 targets. He’s not someone a team would want to build around but could be a good one-year fill-in option.
Javien Elliott, 5’11” / 185, 27, Carolina: Elliott was a backup player and spot starter over the last four seasons, three in Tampa and most recently in Carolina. Elliott put up his best numbers last year under Rivera, 37 tackles, 23 solos, and an interception, though he had several games where he didn’t play any defensive snaps. If the Redskins are in need of adding some depth with whom the head coach is familiar, then Elliott wouldn’t be a bad option. According to Pro Football Reference, he allowed a QB rating of 87.8 when in coverage. He’s not someone the Redskins should rely upon as a starter.
Darqueze Dennard, 5’11” / 205, 28, Cincinnati: There’s a bit of a flag with Dennard – injuries. He last year he got hurt and missed half the season and the year before he played in 13 games. Dennard was a first-round pick who hasn’t quite worked out and isn’t a guy you would want to bank on being a start opposite Dunbar, but, like Dunbar, when he’s playing he’s been good.
Ronald Darby, 5’11” / 193, 26, Philadelphia: A 2nd round pick in 2015, Darby went from Buffalo to the Eagles after his 2nd season. The move to Philadelphia didn’t do him much good. He’s missed about 1/2 of each season the last three years. He’s a good corner when he’s healthy, with decent hands.
Kevin Johnson, 6’0″ / 210, 28, Buffalo: His numbers from last season show that he wasn’t targeted much last year, only 44 times, and allowed 59% of those passes to be completely against him. However, he missed 16% of his tackles.
Mackensie Alexander, 5’10” / 192, 27, Minnesota: He played in 13 games last year, allowed an 84.3 quarterback rating. He’s a very complete player, and a great tackler – he’s never had a missed tackle counted against him – and he’s tight in coverages. He doesn’t make many mistakes. Likely would be ideal depth for slot corner or dime back.
Thanks to Pro Football Focus, we can finally get some more advanced metrics (as opposed to their rankings, which have minimal probative value at best) on defenders and they can provide a good picture of each player’s strengths and weaknesses. We pulled some key 2019 advanced stats for the 14 free agents mentioned above, sorted by Passer rating:
| Player | Games | Targets | Comp % allowed | Passer Rating | Tackles | Missed Tackle % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ross Cockrell | 14 | 67 | 55.2% | 68.6 | 62 | 16.2% |
| James Bradberry | 15 | 97 | 59.8% | 70.1 | 65 | 12.2% |
| Darqueze Dennard | 9 | 35 | 48.6% | 74.5 | 37 | 7.5% |
| Kevin Johnson | 16 | 44 | 59.1% | 79.8 | 32 | 15.8% |
| Bradley Roby | 10 | 63 | 60.3% | 79.9 | 38 | 24.0% |
| Mackensie Alexander | 13 | 58 | 65.5% | 84.3 | 37 | 0.0% |
| Mike Hilton | 16 | 55 | 54.5% | 84.8 | 63 | 6.0% |
| Byron Jones | 15 | 64 | 53.1% | 87.8 | 44 | 2.2% |
| Javien Elliott | 16 | 36 | 77.8% | 87.8 | 37 | 9.8% |
| Logan Ryan | 16 | 103 | 66.0% | 88.7 | 113 | 8.9% |
| Brian Poole | 14 | 64 | 62.5% | 91.3 | 58 | 7.9% |
| Bashaud Breeland | 16 | 62 | 48.4% | 92.2 | 48 | 14.3% |
| Rashaan Melvin | 13 | 92 | 63.0% | 104.1 | 68 | 1.4% |
| Trae Waynes | 14 | 96 | 74.0% | 107.9 | 58 | 7.9% |
| Chris Harris Jr. | 16 | 73 | 67.1% | 112.3 | 56 | 3.4% |
| Ronald Darby | 11 | 67 | 64.2% | 116.8 | 37 | 15.9% |
| Kendall Fuller | 11 | 36 | 77.8% | 131.6 | 49 | 5.8% |