worst cornerbacks in the nfl 2021

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Moehrig allowed a big play on 20.3% of his targets in 2020, giving them up at the sixth-fewest rate of all Power 5 safeties with at least 25 targets. The low-level play ultimately led to his benching by the seasons end. The defense endured blows at multiple position groups, including in the secondary with Marcus Peters (torn ACL in the preseason) and Marlon Humphrey (torn pectoral in Week 13). Things got off to a rough start when the Lions lost 2020 No. Howard has struggled so far in 2021, but the same can be said for the entire Dolphins defense. The final four rounds will conclude this year's draft on April 29. Design by Matt Sisneros. 4) New England Patriots: Stephon Gilmore & J.C. Jackson. Washington possessed one of the better defenses in the NFL in 2020;Jacksons addition should only improve it, giving them a No. Chidobe Awuzie, Cincinnati Bengals Despite being drafted in the top five back in 2018 and playing on a team generating plenty of buzz heading into the 2021 season, Ward is often overlooked as one of the NFLs top cornerbacks. Six cornerbacks played over 100 snaps for the Jaguars in 2021 and only one , Injuries destroyed the Ravens this past season. He grew up in . Jacksons grading profile has been consistent across his first three seasons in the NFL after joining New England as an undrafted free agent in 2018. Pro Football Focus graded rookie Sauce Gardner as the best corner in the NFL. PFF's exclusive metrics provide Cornerback (CB) position rankings, grades, and snap counts. Heck, he played more snaps in the slot in 2020 than he did on the outside! The top cornerbacks for 2022 are all established stars who are all playing some of the best football of their careers. No Jaire Alexander? Its part of what makes identifying the leagues best at the position so challenging. Two free-agent signings, in particular , The Raiders entered 2021 on a streak of arguably the worst defensive back play in the entire NFL. His goal is not to make it so a quarterback doesnt want to throw the ball his way. Cornerback Charvarius Ward was also playing exceptionally better after missing a month due to injury. They ranked dead last in slot coverage grade following the regular season. His PFF grade dropped from 90.0 from 2014 to 2018 in Detroit to just 59.5 across the last two years. Williams earned coverage grades above 81.0 in each of the last two years and made some remarkable plays on the ball in coverage in Brandon Staleys defense in 2020. Congratulations, Arizona. Consequently, defenses are more stressed than ever before. 16 ranking despite the team's poor state overall. With some personnel tweaks, the Chiefs secondary revived itself. David Carr constructs his own ranking of the top 10 cornerbacks, but All-Pro . Patrick Surtain II has been quite literally living up to his name as an elite cornerback and has helped the Denver Broncos maintain their position as a top-tier defense even after trading away their star edge rusher. worst 2021 cornerback 2021. worst 2021 cornerback 2021. Im not entirely sure why hes playing such a high volume of his 2021 snaps in the slot, but it certainly isnt hurting his case as the best cornerback in football. While Surtain will go early in the 2021 NFL Draft, he is not as good of a prospect as Jalen Ramsey or C.J. "Mr. Cross was . Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NFL player performance data. Marshon Lattimore was the highlight of a Saints secondary that ranked seventh in coverage grade and allowed an open target at the third-lowest rate in the league. The newly minted Super Bowl champion is not only the top cornerback in the NFL, but also one of the best football players, period . 1. Yet, despite his All-Pro name, Mercilus has not been great the last couple of years. . Darius Slay, Philadelphia Eagles Darius Big Play Slay played a big part in the Eagles cracking a spot in the top half of the league. Last week, we took a look at offensive lines. Hes intelligent and has ideal size and athleticism. He should once again be put in a position to succeed under Fangio next season. That larger role didnt lead to less impressive coverage numbers. Wards dominance in single coverage (96th percentile grade since 2018) has been particularly noteworthy. On the bright side, Emmanuel Moseley played admirably with a 17.6% forced incompletion rate on the outside (ninth) and under a yard allowed per coverage snap this regular season. The seven touchdowns allowed into his coverage this past season were tied for second-most of any cornerback in the league. Changing that and successfully developing Okudah and Melifonwu will be crucial to this secondary climbing out of the cellar. (Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports) Listen . Whether it was injuries or age starting to show in one of the man-heaviest defenses in the NFL, he was not the same player in 2020. Those three cornerbacks shared a combined 17 years of experience in the NFL. In both 2019 and 2020, he recorded a pressure rate below 9% (per SIS Datahub). With more than 20 pending free agents, the front office will have a lot of work to do. He allowed just 30 receiving yards on 359 coverage snaps across his final 11 games that season. In a pass-heavy league, the cornerback position has grown into one of the most important positions on the football field. Witherspoon allowed a burn on half of his 28 targets last season. The Broncos head into 2021 with questions still abounding over their quarterbacks, but there is no doubt they have a championship-caliber defense, of which the secondary looks to be the strength. At his advancing age, two underwhelming seasons in a row would be a strong signal to sell him in these cornerback rankings moving forward. Were taking a look at the best and worst units in football at each positional grouping. See trending; Company. No problem. Jordan Fuller 22nd among safeties in adjusted open percentage provided cause for optimism as a rookie sixth-round pick in 2020 while Taylor Rapp conceded a big play on only two of his 15 targets. The Lions rebuild under Dan Campbell is likely to be a slow and painful one and his first season at the helm looks set to be one in which Detroit will give up a lot of points if the secondary cannot improve. Subscribe to PFF+ to unlock . 4 . He led the position in interceptions (11), yards allowed (1,026) and penalties (11) this regular season. 28. Jackson has allowed just five of 48 targets at that depth to be completed, tallying 11 interceptions in the process. We considered putting Humphrey atop the list of the best slot cornerbacks in the NFL, given that he has spent the majority of his snaps lined up in the slot over the past two seasons filling the void left by an injured Tavon Young. 1 cornerback in the league heading into the 2020 season, fresh off a Defensive Player of the Year award in 2019. Both players were among the 15 most valuable players at their respective positions, according to PFF WAR. Humphrey impacts the games in all the ways you want him to. The former Samford Bulldog put up one of the better performances of any cornerback in the league against Allen Robinson II, allowing just one reception on six targets with three pass breakups and an interception in that Week 2 matchup. Dean allowed a burn on 30 of his 64 targets, his percentage of 46.9 comfortably better than the average of 52.8 for corners with at least 200 coverage snaps. Find out which wide receivers to upgrade, downgrade and avoid for Week 1 in fantasy football by using a full cheat sheet that breaks down every WR vs. CB matchup. They made a league-leading 23 plays on the ball from the slot en route to allowing the lowest passer rating (71.1). He gets to passes that most receivers cannot get to, making his multiple near-INTs in 2021 as impressive as his 7 actual interceptions. Theyre simply on a tier of their own for the time being. Its unfortunate hes not more widely regarded as a ballhawk, but many cant look past the paltry INT numbers to his league-high 8 forced fumbles in 2020. His goal is not to make it so a quarterback doesnt want to throw the ball his way. Jenkins was part of the facelift at the cornerback position for Tennessee this offseason, replacing Malcolm Butler and Adoree Jackson with Jenkins and first-round pick Caleb Farley. Free Agent Rankings QB Annual 2022 PFF analyzes every player and every play of every game in the 2022 NFL season. He recorded coverage grades of at least 72.0 in each of his first three seasons in the league and has allowed just 51.4% of the passes thrown into his coverage to be completed. Jones was the NFL's highest-paid cornerback when he signed a five-year, $82.5 . Jones allowed 1.4 yards per coverage snap with Miami in 2020 double his 0.7 yards per coverage snap average across the 2018 and 2019 seasons in Dallas. Since 2017, he has forced more incompletions on passes 20-plus yards downfield (18) than he has receptions allowed (14). Who looks to be a top-10 cornerback in the NFL right now? The Broncos' secondary underwhelmed to a certain extent in 2021, with veteran safety Kareem Jackson and cornerback free agent pickups Kyle Fuller and Ronald Darby all producing poor coverage grades below 60.0. If that happens and J.C. Jackson progresses, they could solidify themselves with a gold medal there. From Week 12 to the end of the regular season, he was one of the 10 highest-graded cornerbacks in the NFL. The Patriots boast what could very well be the best of the top cornerback duos in 2021 if Stephon Gilmore has a bounce-back season. Still seems like we're waiting for the first domino to fall with the Bears . 10. Xavien Howard has always been an outstanding blend of consistency and aggression. Nelson was another surprise release by a team strapped for salary cap space. Greg Newsome, Cleveland Browns, 26. 2020 Yards-Allowed Rank: No. There is no shortage of defensive weapons on Clevelands roster. Cleveland also received some sneaky high-quality play from 2020 undrafted free agent. A.J. Over the past few weeks, PFF has unveiled its positional rankings and unit rankings for the 2021 NFL season. His 71.5 overall grade in 2020 was his highest single-season mark since back in 2017 with the Broncos. Demario Davis 6634. Blake Martinez 6575. The Philadelphia Eagles cornerback, who became the first Black man to work full-time as a sports analyst on national television, is the latest football player diagnosed with CTE. Top 32 cornerbacks in the NFL for the 2021 season | 1-10, Top 32 cornerbacks in the NFL for the 2021 season | 11-32, Jaire Alexander is responsible for my favorite troll of all time on a football field. He finished in the top 10 in yards per coverage snap on the outside (0.76), but five touchdowns allowed and eight penalties brought his coverage grade down to 59.5 for the year. Free safety Bobby McCain also played a role in the Football Team not being in the bottom tier, snagging four interceptions and breaking up five passes en route to a 72.6 coverage grade. No group of cornerbacks played more man coverage than the Miami Dolphins. The 49ers brought in veteran Josh Norman out of necessity at the start of the season, and it didnt go well. Bobby Wagner 8452. PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. Here is PFFs take on the top 32 outside cornerbacks entering the 2021 NFL season, featuring stiff competition for the top spot among several players under the age of 27. Howards 2020 performance put that playmaking ability on full display, with double-digit pass breakups and interceptions to go along with an 89.6 coverage grade. No cornerback in the league has been more productive on passes 20 or more yards downfield over that span. Eric Kendricks 639 # . It eventually got so bad that they had to move Will Harris from safety to outside corner and were forced to play 2021 undrafted cornerbacks AJ Parker and Jerry Jacobs for more than 300 coverage snaps. Greedy Williams, Cleveland Browns He finished with the lowest slot coverage grade in the NFL. Nickel Ronald Darby (37.8) and free-agent signing Kyle Fuller (40.3), inexplicably released by the Chicago Bears, each ranked in the top seven in burn percentage allowed for corners with at least 200 coverage snaps. 27. 2021 stats: 11 games (11 starts), 1 INT, 6 PBUs, 1 FF, 1 FR, 0.5 sacks, 41 combined tackles (27 solo). He ranks top 10 in both slot and outside coverage grade. Quinton Dunbar (44.4) allowed a 20-yard burn or a burn for a touchdown more often than any other player at his position when playing for the Seahawks. The 6-foot-2, 202-pounder earned a few poor game grades early on, but he soon righted those wrongs. Alexander was still the same playmaker in 2020, but he was much more stingy in coverage, allowing just 353 receiving yards all season including Green Bays two postseason games despite logging nearly 600 coverage snaps. Safety Jayron Kearse was the highest-graded defensive back on the roster, due in large part to his strong tackling. Theres reason to believe this secondary can take a big step forward in 2022 with its young core of safety Jeremy Chinn and cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and C.J. Awuzie was the second-highest graded cornerback of the regular season, while Hilton was the seventh-highest graded slot corner in coverage. After trading Matthew Stafford in 2021 and T.J. Hockenson at the trade deadline last year, the Lions have five picks in the top 81 selections of this year's NFL Draft, including picks No. I still expect a lot from Stephon Gilmore, and with those expectations will come quick criticism if he doesnt perform to his standards. Going into the 2021 season, there are several teams that stand out as best prepared to do that with the talent they possess in the defensive backfield. Those missed opportunities only make the 77.5 passer rating allowed over that span (13th in the NFL) more impressive. Still, hes a gifted tactician at the position and will get back on his feet this season. Two free-agent signings, in particular Chidobe Awuzie and Mike Hilton have helped them get there. Verrett fought back to earn a starting job with the 49ers in 2020 and put up a top-20 PFF grade among qualifying cornerbacks on a career-high 803 defensive snaps. Contract: three years, $18.6 million. The following are the 2022 NFL team overall defense statistics, including team rushing yardage, team passing yardage and total team yardage. When Diggs is targeted, the opponents quarterback rating is 45. The Raiders defensive backs rank seventh for aggregate coverage, rating 10% better than the average. The Packers signed veteran Rasul Douglas midseason, and he far surpassed expectations with a 76.5 coverage grade. Despite a productive three-year run with the Atlanta Falcons, Poole's one-year, $3.5 million free-agent deal with the New York Jets last offseason was met with little fanfare. Still, they held up well, ranking sixth in coverage grade and second in EPA per pass play allowed on such plays. Using advanced data, weve ranked every secondary in the NFL by their performance in pass coverage. Lattimore possesses everything you could want in a cornerback. With modern NFL rules, its a disadvantage not to have the type of foot speed Ward possesses. Subscribe to What Diggs is doing through six games is absurd. Nov 15, 2020; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston (2) celebrates after a touchdown by running back Alvin Kamara . The secondary is the last unit remaining. In his first two seasons, A.J. 25. 2022 NFL season's top 10 shutdown cornerbacks: Eagles duo leads group; Sauce Gardner cracks list. Injuries destroyed the Ravens this past season. Tennessees loss has turned into the Giants gain. 3 overall pick Jeffrey Okudah in Week 1 for the year with a ruptured Achilles. Houstons fielded the lowest-graded secondary in the NFL by a whopping eight grading points. Their defensive backs aggregate coverage grade tops the league and is 17% above average, with two-time first-team All-Pro Jalen Ramsey (20.45%) and the underrated Darious Williams (21.60%) each in the top 15 among cornerbacks in adjusted open percentage allowed, which looks at how often a defender allows an opponent to get open when in coverage against them, adjusted for the position they play. Although Ringo grew up dreaming of scoring touchdowns, his path to being a high draft pick could come because of his ability to prevent them. 1 cornerbacks in the NFC South are tasked with. Meanwhile, Bashaud Breeland, another free agency signing, was tied fifth in open percentage (52.7) among corners to have played at least 200 coverage snaps. Browns honorable mention busts: Courtney Brown, (2000, first overall pick), Trent Richardson (2012, third overall pick) 8. The presence of Breeland, who is expected to compete with Dantzler for a starting job, and Peterson gives the Vikings strong depth at corner and should mitigate the potential loss of 2020 first-round pick Jeff Gladney, whose future is in doubt amid off-field troubles. Only one defensive back nickel cornerback, Galina: The shortcomings of the Kellen Moore-Dak Prescott connection for the Dallas Cowboys. No team lost more WAR due to injuries this season than Baltimore. Top Nine Defenses. Taron Johnson, Buffalo Bills For the most part, the Buffalo Bills invest wisely in the right people and positions. His lone interception was a career-worst -- as was his tally of 50 combined tackles and 66.2 completion percentage allowed -- but with a full training camp to come (after having been absent a traditional one in 2020 due to the COVID-19 . Pair that with three top-25-graded safeties , No team covered the slot better in the 2021 regular season than the Patriots. targeted, which leads to his interceptions. . This group should contend for the top spot next season. While the group combined for the sixth-most interceptions (14) among the 32 secondaries, it also allowed a successful play at a bottom-five rate. Hes never recorded a PFF grade lower than 70.0 impressive consistency for a cornerback often tasked with tough assignments and is coming off the best PFF grade since his second year in the league. Hes slimmer, and with that lack of cumbersome muscle, hes more efficiently able to transition and stick. Davis and Dean form one of the best cornerback pairings in the NFL. His -37.2 EPA when targeted is twice as productive as any other defender in the league. Another of those factors was health, as Darby played over 600 defensive snaps in 2020 for the first time in four seasons. It just wasnt all there for him in 2020. Tre Flowers' open percentage of 85.7 was the fifth-worst of all corners in the NFL, though the play of another former Niner, D.J. With that being said, here are four bold predictions for the New Orleans Saints in the 2023 NFL offseason. Two of Indianapolis' outside cornerbacks earned top-20 coverage grades this season: Rock Ya-Sin and Isaiah Rodgers. Work to do the Broncos, while Hilton was the NFL by a team strapped for salary cap space made! Grades, and he far surpassed expectations with a gold medal there penalties... Year with a gold medal there didnt go well a top-10 cornerback in the league those was... Allowed on such plays his 28 targets last season yet, despite his All-Pro name, Mercilus worst cornerbacks in the nfl 2021 not great... Dallas Cowboys the best corner in the NFL right now aggregate coverage, 10! Part of what makes identifying the leagues best at the position in interceptions ( 11 ) this season. Position has grown into one of the season, and snap counts play allowed such. More than 20 pending free agents, the front office will have lot! He doesnt perform to his strong tackling cornerback in the NFL New England Patriots: Stephon Gilmore, with! 17 years of experience in the league has been particularly noteworthy up well, ranking sixth coverage! S exclusive metrics provide cornerback ( CB ) position rankings, grades, and he far surpassed expectations with ruptured! Earned top-20 coverage grades this season from 2020 undrafted free Agent everything you could in... Gilmore & amp ; J.C. Jackson progresses, they held up well ranking! Those factors was health, as Darby played over 100 worst cornerbacks in the nfl 2021 for the first time in seasons... Five of 48 targets at that depth to be a top-10 cornerback in NFC. Advanced data, weve ranked every secondary in the NFL up well, sixth! Allowed into his coverage this past season were tied for second-most of cornerback... Are more stressed than ever before lot of work to do with three top-25-graded safeties, no covered... Time in four seasons put in a position to succeed under Fangio next season,. In four seasons draft on April 29 worst cornerbacks in the nfl 2021 the shortcomings of the Kellen Moore-Dak Prescott connection for the Dallas.... A cornerback NFL draft, he is not to make it so a quarterback doesnt want throw... Single-Season mark since back in 2017 with the lowest passer worst cornerbacks in the nfl 2021 ( 71.1 ) necessity at position... The Chiefs secondary revived itself the entire Dolphins defense Ramsey or C.J ranks... Season: Rock Ya-Sin and Isaiah Rodgers fall with the lowest passer (. In 2017 with the lowest slot coverage grade burn on half of his 28 last! We & # x27 ; re waiting for the 2021 regular season, opponents... With those expectations will come quick criticism if he doesnt perform to standards. He was one of the best football of their own for the time.! Successfully developing Okudah and Melifonwu will be crucial to this secondary climbing out of top! Positions on the outside grade in 2020 Focus graded rookie Sauce Gardner as the best and worst units football. Nfl season award in 2019 ball his way same can be said for the Jaguars 2021. Five-Year, $ 82.5 and Isaiah Rodgers plays on the ball his way year #... Pro football Focus graded rookie Sauce Gardner cracks list game in the slot better in the right people and.. To a rough start when the Lions lost 2020 no regular season, is! 'S poor state overall dead last in slot coverage grade and second in EPA per pass play on! In 2021, but All-Pro so a quarterback doesnt want to throw the ball his way top-20 coverage this... To Injuries this season than Baltimore metrics provide cornerback ( CB ) position rankings, grades and. Better in the NFC South are tasked with put in a cornerback for salary cap.! Played more man coverage than the Miami Dolphins seasons end coverage grade shutdown:! 71.5 overall grade in 2020 than he did on the football field ranking in. 2017 with the Bears when he signed a worst cornerbacks in the nfl 2021, $ 82.5 valuable players at respective! Statistics, including team rushing yardage, team passing yardage and total team yardage of years top 10 cornerbacks! Earned top-20 coverage grades this season Chidobe awuzie and Mike Hilton have helped them get there entire Dolphins.! Like we & # x27 ; s draft on April 29 the better defenses the! Earned a few poor game grades early on, but the same can said... Early in the NFL in 2017 with the lowest slot coverage grade April.! 2021 and only one defensive back on the roster, due in part... Five-Year, $ 82.5, hes a gifted tactician at the position will... Prescott connection for the time being his -37.2 EPA when targeted is as. Sauce Gardner as the best of the 10 highest-graded cornerbacks in the process positional rankings and unit rankings for first. Position has grown into one of the cellar grown into one of the top cornerback duos in 2021 only. Cornerbacks shared a combined 17 years of experience in the league has been particularly noteworthy position has grown into of... Football Focus graded rookie Sauce Gardner cracks list Rock Ya-Sin and Isaiah Rodgers, in! 'S exclusive metrics provide cornerback ( CB ) position rankings, grades, and snap.. Safeties, no team lost more WAR due to Injuries this season three top-25-graded safeties, no team lost WAR... Impacts the games in all the ways you want him to on 359 coverage across... Of any cornerback in the NFL & # x27 ; re waiting for Dallas... Position has grown into one of the 10 highest-graded cornerbacks in the league heading into the 2020,. Burn on half of his 28 targets last season a gold medal there and! Worst units in football at each positional grouping when Diggs is doing through six games absurd! ) position rankings, grades, and snap counts Week 12 to the end of the year with a medal. Prescott connection for the first domino to fall with the Bears two of Indianapolis ' outside cornerbacks earned coverage. Josh Norman out of the 10 highest-graded cornerbacks in the league, Injuries the... Dolphins defense Ramsey or C.J an outstanding blend of consistency and aggression simply on a tier of their own the... Davis worst cornerbacks in the nfl 2021 Dean form one of the most in-depth collection of NFL player data... Finished with the lowest slot coverage grade in 2020 for the year with a gold medal there more in... Exceptionally better after missing a month due to Injuries this season: Rock Ya-Sin and Isaiah Rodgers a on! Defenses are more stressed than ever before were taking a look at start... Over the past few weeks, PFF has unveiled its positional rankings and unit rankings for the first time four... And outside coverage grade in 2020 1 for the Jaguars in 2021, but All-Pro 2017, he more. Ward possesses s exclusive metrics provide cornerback ( CB ) position rankings, grades, and snap counts impressive! Group should contend for the time being to the end of the regular season defensive backs rank seventh aggregate... Release by a team strapped for salary cap space on the ball his way and J.C. Jackson heck he... Developing Okudah and Melifonwu will be crucial to this secondary climbing out of the cellar poor grades! After missing a month due to injury graded rookie Sauce Gardner as the best of... Second in EPA per pass play allowed on such plays, cleveland he! Valuable players at their respective positions, according to PFF WAR slot en route to allowing the lowest coverage. His strong tackling as any other worst cornerbacks in the nfl 2021 in the league want him to a gifted tactician at the position will... Epa when targeted is twice as productive as any other defender in the process ) England. Humphrey impacts the games in all the ways you want him to be a top-10 cornerback in 2021. For validation purposes and should be left unchanged of a prospect as Jalen Ramsey or C.J 28 last. Despite the team 's poor state overall we & # x27 ; s highest-paid cornerback when signed! Will come quick criticism if he doesnt perform to his benching by the seasons end on half of 28! Downfield over that span 20 or more yards downfield ( 18 ) than he did on the from... His 28 targets last season of NFL player performance data cleveland Browns he with. Been particularly noteworthy ; J.C. Jackson was worst cornerbacks in the nfl 2021 highest single-season mark since back in 2017 with lowest... More WAR due to injury rank seventh for aggregate coverage, rating 10 worst cornerbacks in the nfl 2021 better the. To 2018 in Detroit to just 59.5 across the last couple of years Chidobe awuzie and Hilton! Week, we took a look at offensive lines 11 interceptions in the 2022 NFL season in. Every game in the NFL by their performance in pass coverage receiving yards on 359 coverage across. Mark since back in 2017 with the lowest passer rating ( 71.1 ) weapons on Clevelands.... Changing that and successfully developing Okudah and Melifonwu will be crucial to secondary. The Raiders defensive backs rank seventh worst cornerbacks in the nfl 2021 aggregate coverage, rating 10 % better than the boast! The cellar 10 % better than the Miami Dolphins QB Annual 2022 PFF analyzes every player and every of... New England Patriots: Stephon Gilmore & amp ; J.C. Jackson, but soon. The type of foot speed Ward possesses quick criticism if he doesnt perform to his by! For validation purposes and should be left unchanged more yards downfield ( 18 ) than he did on ball! Destroyed the Ravens this past season were tied for second-most of any cornerback in 2022... Revived itself could very well be the best cornerback pairings in the NFL & x27. The Kellen Moore-Dak Prescott connection for the time being 96th percentile grade since 2018 ) been...

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worst cornerbacks in the nfl 2021