If there’s one position on the Denver Broncos where they don’t need an upgrade, it’s cornerback. Between Aqib Talib and Chris Harris, the Broncos have two Pro-Bowl caliber options right there, and Bradley Roby isn’t far behind.
Still, that doesn’t mean John Elway can go into free agency and the offseason feeling comfortable. Denver is one injury away from going from the league’s best secondary to just a very good secondary; they’re two injuries away from league average.
Depth, in football, is imperative. You cannot have enough good football players.
Now, that doesn’t mean the Broncos have to go out and sign some big-ticket guy like Janoris Jenkins or Sean Smith, but an under-the-radar guy who has the chance of over performing his contract would be a great fourth cornerback.
The biggest problem for the Broncos, though, will be finding a guy who’s willing to come to a team knowing that he’s the fourth guy on the depth chart. And because of that, the likelihood that they sign anyone of note is relatively small, especially considering that they have a lot of other items on their to-do list.
Nonetheless, here are five guys who would be interesting to at least consider:
5. Morris Claiborne
EXPERIENCE: 4 years DRAFT: 1st round (6th overall) out of LSU
CAREER STARTS: 36 HONORS: None
’15 CAP HIT: $5.2 M PREDICTED ’16 CAP HIT: $2-3 M
LAST YEAR: 37 total tackles; 5 passes defensed
BEST YEAR: 55 total tackles; 1 interception; 8 passes defensed; 1 forced fumble; 1 fumble recovery; 1 touchdown (2012)
WHY THE BRONCOS COULD BE INTERESTED: Well, the truth is that I’m not so sure why anyone would be interested in Morris Claiborne. Since coming out of LSU, he’s been a colossal disappointment, dropping out of favor at times in Dallas and underperforming at every turn. Pro Football Focus had him graded out as their 104th best cornerback in the NFL last season (38.5), which is not great given that there are just 64 starting cornerbacks in the league.
Then again, he is just 26 years old, and there’s a reason he was drafted sixth overall just a few years ago.
Is that enough to entice the Broncos? Sure, especially if you’re signing him to be your fourth cornerback. The risk is low, and given his significantly disappointing career to this point, so is the price.
4. Charles Tillman
EXPERIENCE: 13 years DRAFT: 2nd round (35th overall) out of La-Lafayette
CAREER STARTS: 164 HONORS: Pro Bowl (’11,’12); AP 1st-Team All-Pro (’12); PFF 1st-Team All-Pro (’12); Walter Peyton Man of the Year (’13)
’15 CAP HIT: $1.5M PREDICTED ’16 CAP HIT: $1-2 M
LAST YEAR: 55 total tackles; 2 interceptions; 7 passes defended; 2 forced fumbles; 1 fumble recovery
BEST YEAR: 86 total tackles; 3 interceptions; 3 touchdowns; 16 passes defended; 10 forced fumbles; 2 fumble recovery (2012)
WHY THE BRONCOS COULD BE INTERESTED: At this point in his career, Charles “Peanut” Tillman probably isn’t going to offer that much on the field. Not only is he 35 years old, but he’s coming off a torn ACL suffered late into the season.
But if the Broncos were to sign Tillman, it wouldn’t be for his on-field production; it would be for what he does off the field.
Tillman is one of the best men in all of football, and he’s proven that over and over again. That’s why the Panthers brought him in, and when he ended up having a solid season for them, it was a fantastic bonus. Like DeMarcus Ware, Tillman could be the calming veteran presence on a fiery Broncos defense.
And if he can give us couple of his patented “Peanut Punches,” all the better.
3. Shareece Wright
EXPERIENCE: 5 years DRAFT: 3rd round (89th overall) out of USC
CAREER STARTS: 33 HONORS: None
’15 CAP HIT: $635 K PREDICTED ’16 CAP HIT: $3-5 M
LAST YEAR: 40 total tackles; 5 passes defensed
BEST YEAR: 60 total tackles; 10 passes defensed
WHY THE BRONCOS COULD BE INTERESTED: It took Shareece Wright two years to start gaining traction as a young cornerback in San Diego, but after grabbing the starting job in his third season, he grew into a solid, league-average cornerback.
In Baltimore last year, Wright got off to an equally rough start, backing up Lardarius Webb for the first five weeks of the season, before taking the starting gig in Week 6. After giving up 132 yards and two touchdowns in that first performance, he went on to limit his opponents to just 124 receiving yards and a touchdown through his next 10 games, via BaltimoreRavens.com.
As an under-the-radar prospect, Wright is still a guy the Broncos could grab at a below-market-value price.
2. Jeremy Lane
EXPERIENCE: 4 years DRAFT: 6th round (172nd overall) out of NW State
CAREER STARTS: 6 HONORS: PFF 2nd-Team All-Pro (’13)
’15 CAP HIT: $691 K PREDICTED ’16 CAP HIT: $3-5 M
LAST YEAR: 11 total tackles; 2 interceptions; 6 passes defensed
BEST YEAR: 29 total tackles; 4 passes defensed (’13)
WHY THE BRONCOS COULD BE INTERESTED: Jeremy Lane is probably most well known for his Super Bowl interception that resulted in a gruesome arm injury, but he’s more than just a one-hit wonder. People may question why it took him nearly four seasons to become a starter, but the answer is simple: He played in the Seattle Seahawks secondary.
Since he was drafted in the sixth round back in 2012, Seattle has had one of the best and deepest secondaries in the league; it takes a lot to crack that rotation.
Lane performed well during the second half of the Seahawks season last year after returning from injury, but he should still come at a relatively cheap price, especially considering his possibly high ceiling.
1. Patrick Robinson
EXPERIENCE: 6 years DRAFT: 1st round (32nd overall) out of Florida St.
CAREER STARTS: 43 HONORS: None
’15 CAP HIT: $2 M PREDICTED ’16 CAP HIT: $2-4 M
LAST YEAR: 49 total tackles; 1 interception; 8 passes defensed
BEST YEAR: 64 total tackles; 3 interceptions; 1 touchdown; 18 passes defensed
WHY THE BRONCOS COULD BE INTERESTED: Patrick Robinson may be one of the best cornerbacks you’ve never heard of, and that anonymity is probably why he could only get a one-year, $2 million contract from the Chargers last offseason.
But despite starting only 10 games, Robinson was graded by PFF as the 30th best cornerback in the NFL, tied with Darrelle Revis and right behind Aqib Talib and Vontae Davis. That’s some pretty good company.