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After a FA period that brought in former Pro Bowl CB A.J. Bouye (via trade) and the departure of our beloved (future RoFer) CHJ after 9 years with the team, the cornerback position remains a pretty big question mark on our roster.
Regardless of how you feel about Bouye, he will be the CB1 when the 2020 season begins.
Bryce Callahan will be our nickel CB and should see virtually all of his snaps there. In his four years with Chicago (and Fangio) he played 81.6% of his snaps in the slot (and 91.6% in his last two seasons there). Barring questionable personnel decisions, Callahan should continue to play that role. Of course his health is the number one concern, but after sitting out the entire 2019 season and having another full offseason to recover from his troubling foot injury-- I trust that he will be ready to go for 2020.
Which brings us to the topic of CB2, the outside corner opposite of Bouye. Here is how we employed that position last year (per Pro Football Reference).
Isaac Yiadom: 8 GS (games started), 16 GP (games played)
Davontae Harris: 6 GS, 16 GP
De'Vante Bausby: 2 GS, 5 GP
All three corners are back for next season. Here are the 2019 stats for each of them.
Yiadom: 4 PD, 0 INT, 38 completions/54 targets (70.4%), 490 yards allowed, 0 TD, 98.5 rating against
Harris: 3 PD, 0 INT, 33/50 (66.0%), 330 YA, 3 TD, 104.6 rating
Bausby: 3 PD, 0 INT, 8/15, 75 YA, 0 TD, 67.4 rating
On the surface, it seems like Bausby has shown the most ability to lock down the outside corner position for our defense. Before a scary neck injury ended his 2019 campaign, Bausby was making the most of his opportunities after starring in the now-defunct AAF. Although he played well in limited action, it remains to be seen whether he can sustain that level of play for a full season. Elway re-signed Bausby to a one-year deal in March.
Yiadom, a 2018 3rd round pick, has been underwhelming since he was drafted. I was high on him as a prospect out of Boston College, and I think he can continue to improve as he enters his third year in the league. Fangio and Donatell must develop their young CB and have him cut down on his tendency to grab in coverage-- which drew a fair share of costly penalties. If Yiadom cannot take the next step, he will fall into the "Brendan Langley" category of 3rd round busts at corner for Denver.
Harris was impressive early on, but lost the starting spot to Yiadom mid-way through the season after giving up 8 receptions and 90 yards against MIN and a touchdown against BUF. He provides decent depth for our secondary, but I am not counting on him to take over at CB2 this upcoming year.
So what to do?
Much speculation has been made about bringing in former CHI CB Prince Amukamara and reuniting him with Fangio and Donatell. At this moment, it seems like Elway, however, is waiting until the draft to make any decisions regarding the other starting cornerback position. The 2020 CB draft class has a lot of talent, with many top prospects with pro-ready tools that can come in and make an impact during their rookie year. The bulk of that talent in his class appears to lie in the late-1st to early 3rd round range, with a bit of a drop-off after that. My take is that we need to take one somewhere in the first 2 rounds. Here is my tentative CB board at the moment.
TIER 1 (early 1st RD):
1. Jeffrey Okudah, Ohio State // best CB prospect since Jalen Ramsey, no holes to his game
TIER 2 (mid 1st RD):
2. Kristian Fulton, LSU // shut down the best WRs in the SEC, all-around balanced skill-set, excelled in man & Cover 3
3. C.J. Henderson, Florida // ultra-athletic, one of the best pure man CBs, has the potential to star on an island, poor tackler
TIER 3 (late 1st - early 2nd RD):
4. Jeff Gladney, TCU // tenacious, not afraid to tackle, silky undersized man corner with projectable ability to play zone
5. Jaylon Johnson, Utah // smart playmaker, physical press man, disciplined w/ IQ to play multiple schemes
6. Trevon Diggs, Alabama // lanky CB w/ spider-like length, patient eyes w/ good instincts, fit for press-zone or press-man
7. A.J. Terrell, Clemson // ideal size/speed combo, good fluidity to be scheme-versatile, underwhelming tackler
TIER 4 (mid 2nd - early 3rd RD):
8. Cameron Dantzler, Mississippi State // allowed only 1 TD in college, elite physically & fundamentally in press, great ball skills, worrisome long speed
9. Bryce Hall, Virginia // length & willingness to tackle fits Fangio's prototype, high motor, one of the best zone CBs in this class
10. Damon Arnette, Ohio State // solid, all-around CB, average athlete, consistent technique on every rep
11. Noah Igbinoghene, Auburn // great athleticism, very raw, physical vs the run, a developmental project
If we miss out on a top WR, I would be happy with Fulton at #15. If we manage to grab a WR in round 1, I like Johnson or Diggs at #46-- if they're not available there, I like Terrell or the top two Tier 4 corners on my board. These are the only players I really see being able to take over as CB2 next season. After them, I do not see a CB from this draft class that would be an upgrade at the position besides providing depth or ST contributions.
What do you guys think we should do at CB2? Do you guys think it's a big need relative to WR, C, or OT? Which prospects do you particularly covet for us?
Regardless of how you feel about Bouye, he will be the CB1 when the 2020 season begins.
Bryce Callahan will be our nickel CB and should see virtually all of his snaps there. In his four years with Chicago (and Fangio) he played 81.6% of his snaps in the slot (and 91.6% in his last two seasons there). Barring questionable personnel decisions, Callahan should continue to play that role. Of course his health is the number one concern, but after sitting out the entire 2019 season and having another full offseason to recover from his troubling foot injury-- I trust that he will be ready to go for 2020.
Which brings us to the topic of CB2, the outside corner opposite of Bouye. Here is how we employed that position last year (per Pro Football Reference).
Isaac Yiadom: 8 GS (games started), 16 GP (games played)
Davontae Harris: 6 GS, 16 GP
De'Vante Bausby: 2 GS, 5 GP
All three corners are back for next season. Here are the 2019 stats for each of them.
Yiadom: 4 PD, 0 INT, 38 completions/54 targets (70.4%), 490 yards allowed, 0 TD, 98.5 rating against
Harris: 3 PD, 0 INT, 33/50 (66.0%), 330 YA, 3 TD, 104.6 rating
Bausby: 3 PD, 0 INT, 8/15, 75 YA, 0 TD, 67.4 rating
On the surface, it seems like Bausby has shown the most ability to lock down the outside corner position for our defense. Before a scary neck injury ended his 2019 campaign, Bausby was making the most of his opportunities after starring in the now-defunct AAF. Although he played well in limited action, it remains to be seen whether he can sustain that level of play for a full season. Elway re-signed Bausby to a one-year deal in March.
Yiadom, a 2018 3rd round pick, has been underwhelming since he was drafted. I was high on him as a prospect out of Boston College, and I think he can continue to improve as he enters his third year in the league. Fangio and Donatell must develop their young CB and have him cut down on his tendency to grab in coverage-- which drew a fair share of costly penalties. If Yiadom cannot take the next step, he will fall into the "Brendan Langley" category of 3rd round busts at corner for Denver.
Harris was impressive early on, but lost the starting spot to Yiadom mid-way through the season after giving up 8 receptions and 90 yards against MIN and a touchdown against BUF. He provides decent depth for our secondary, but I am not counting on him to take over at CB2 this upcoming year.
So what to do?
Much speculation has been made about bringing in former CHI CB Prince Amukamara and reuniting him with Fangio and Donatell. At this moment, it seems like Elway, however, is waiting until the draft to make any decisions regarding the other starting cornerback position. The 2020 CB draft class has a lot of talent, with many top prospects with pro-ready tools that can come in and make an impact during their rookie year. The bulk of that talent in his class appears to lie in the late-1st to early 3rd round range, with a bit of a drop-off after that. My take is that we need to take one somewhere in the first 2 rounds. Here is my tentative CB board at the moment.
TIER 1 (early 1st RD):
1. Jeffrey Okudah, Ohio State // best CB prospect since Jalen Ramsey, no holes to his game
TIER 2 (mid 1st RD):
2. Kristian Fulton, LSU // shut down the best WRs in the SEC, all-around balanced skill-set, excelled in man & Cover 3
3. C.J. Henderson, Florida // ultra-athletic, one of the best pure man CBs, has the potential to star on an island, poor tackler
TIER 3 (late 1st - early 2nd RD):
4. Jeff Gladney, TCU // tenacious, not afraid to tackle, silky undersized man corner with projectable ability to play zone
5. Jaylon Johnson, Utah // smart playmaker, physical press man, disciplined w/ IQ to play multiple schemes
6. Trevon Diggs, Alabama // lanky CB w/ spider-like length, patient eyes w/ good instincts, fit for press-zone or press-man
7. A.J. Terrell, Clemson // ideal size/speed combo, good fluidity to be scheme-versatile, underwhelming tackler
TIER 4 (mid 2nd - early 3rd RD):
8. Cameron Dantzler, Mississippi State // allowed only 1 TD in college, elite physically & fundamentally in press, great ball skills, worrisome long speed
9. Bryce Hall, Virginia // length & willingness to tackle fits Fangio's prototype, high motor, one of the best zone CBs in this class
10. Damon Arnette, Ohio State // solid, all-around CB, average athlete, consistent technique on every rep
11. Noah Igbinoghene, Auburn // great athleticism, very raw, physical vs the run, a developmental project
If we miss out on a top WR, I would be happy with Fulton at #15. If we manage to grab a WR in round 1, I like Johnson or Diggs at #46-- if they're not available there, I like Terrell or the top two Tier 4 corners on my board. These are the only players I really see being able to take over as CB2 next season. After them, I do not see a CB from this draft class that would be an upgrade at the position besides providing depth or ST contributions.
What do you guys think we should do at CB2? Do you guys think it's a big need relative to WR, C, or OT? Which prospects do you particularly covet for us?
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