Free agency opens at on March 11th at 4 pm. Leading up to Tuesday we'll be previewing some of the positions where Buffalo might look to improve their roster, and try to find possible fits for the Bills. We continue our series with the cornerback position.
The Bills secondary at the cornerback position specifically looks fairly solid with starters Stephon Gilmore and Leodis McKelvin and up and coming nickel corner Nickell Robey. With Ron Brooks, Mario Butler and Brandon Smith as depth however, the NFL experience is limited. Buffalo may be in the market for an experienced corner for a depth role.
THE HEAVY HITTERS
Tarell Brown – San Francisco –The 49ers have been in negotiations with Brown in an effort to re-sign him. A quality man cover corner.
Vontae Davis – Indianapolis –Another solid man-to-man corner, but has missed time on the field and can have trouble at times in zone against sophisticated offenses.
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie –One of the best athletic talents available. Sometimes too aggressive for his own good, but his size and length are attractive in an era of big wideouts.
Aqib Talib – New England –His battle with nagging injuries tarnishes his talent a bit, but he's a corner that can be assigned to an opponent's best wideout every week.
MIDDLE-MARKET
Corey Graham – Baltimore –He's coming off a career-high in tackles and interceptions in 2013. Graham is an aggressive corner with a good all-around game.
Tracy Porter – Oakland –Porter is a solid cover corner with the ability to play outside and in the slot. For a young player he has a ton of experience including Super Bowl XLIV.
Sam Shields – Green Bay –A bit on the smaller side, but makes plays on the ball and can play man and zone. Only drawback is he's not a great tackler.
| UPDATE (3/8): The Packers and Shields agreed on a long-term deal over the weekend, as first tweeted by agent Drew Rosenhaus. |
Walter Thurmond – Seattle –A corner with ideal size and strength. Solid in press coverage and in zone with good instincts.
VETERAN OPTIONS
DeAngelo Hall – Washington
Tim Jennings – Chicago
Richard Marshall – San Diego
Captain Munnerlyn - Carolina
Charles Tillman – Chicago
POSSIBLE FITS FOR BILLS
Corey Graham –The Buffalo native would be a good add as he's a solid special teamer and could step in outside should injury strike.
Richard Marshall –He signed in San Diego as a reserve corner and played well when pressed into action.
Walter Thurmond –The kind of physical corner that could step in for a starter outside with not much drop-off.
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