In Chris Harris and Aqib Talib, the Denver Broncos have the most accomplished cornerback tandem since the days of Steve Foley and Louis Wright. In 2016, both players earned first-team All-Pro recognition, helping Denver finish as the No. 1-ranked pass defense for the second year in a row. Yet that wasn’t enough to earn them NFL.com’s rating as the top cornerback tandem in the league.
Ike Taylor, formerly a cornerback for the Steelers, set the list.
It was little surprise that ahead of the 2016 season, Harris and Talib finished as his top-rated secondary with the pair doing little to prove Taylor wrong. Moving forward to this year, however, Taylor dropped the Denver cornerbacks down one spot to No. 1. A.J. Bouye and Jalen Ramsey of the Jacksonville Jaguars earned his top spot.
As a two-time Super Bowl champ, Taylor has the background to make such distinctions. But this ranking smacks of a decision based on potential and less on a body of work. Ramsey has only played one season in the league, and while talented, can be expected to level off a bit with more game film available to scout his potential weaknesses. Bouye parlayed one great season with the Houston Texans into a lucrative deal with the Jags this season; seeing how he plays in a new scheme and coaching staff bears watching.
It was a bit contradictory of Taylor to call the ‘No Fly Zone’ defensive backs, “the best cornerbacks in the league” while pushing them down a spot in his rankings. It’s easy to see why, Talib earned Pro Football Focus’ honor of being their highest-rated defensive back for 2016. Talib didn’t give up a touchdown last season and held down his side of the field to the tune of a 53.3 passer rating against him. Even missing three games with a back injury, Talib had his finest season of his career.
Harris didn’t finish far behind his teammate and was equally effective in playing both outside and in the slot. In 2016, Harris allowed just 34 receptions to opposing receivers for a paltry 337 yards on the year. In the same PFF rankings, Harris did little to dampen his body of work, finishing as their third-rated player behind only Talib and Malcolm Butler. Whether it be against the pass or the run, where he is also known as a willing tackler, Harris is as a complete a defender as they come.
With all due respect to Taylor, myself and all of Broncos Country doesn’t agree with his predictions for this upcoming season. Bolstering the defensive line in to improve the run defense from a year ago, as the Broncos have done, will only make the best secondary duo in the league that much better. And after being slighted by Taylor, expect the already impressive tandem of Harris and Talib to be that much more motivated to shut down opposing offenses this season.
