Baltimore Beatdown
NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks sees new Baltimore Ravens cornerback Jaire Alexander as a viable Comeback Player of the Year candidate.
The Baltimore Ravens added cornerback Jaire Alexander to be a mainstay of their defense in their surge for a Super Bowl, and while that is still plausible, NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks sees Alexander as a candidate for one of the NFL’s individual accolades. Brooks picked long-shots for all seven major individual awards, and for Comeback Player of the Year, selected Alexander.
“A two-time Pro Bowler in seven seasons with the Packers before being released this offseason, perhaps a change of scenery will help Alexander shake the injury bug and rediscover what once made him the highest-paid corner in the league,” Brooks wrote. “His talent meshes with a Ravens scheme that puts a lot of pressure on defensive backs to win their one-on-one matchups on the perimeter. As a versatile corner with lock-down skills utilizing bump-and-run or shadowboxing technique, the eighth-year pro could give Baltimore the CB1 needed to compete against the AFC’s high-powered offenses. Divisional battles against Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, DK Metcalf and Jerry Jeudy are on the horizon, so Alexander will have a chance to show he’s still an elite corner with a bounce-back season.”
Currently, Alexander’s odds to win CPotY from Caesar’s Sportsbook & Casino’s award odds are +8,000 to win. Alexander isn’t even on the board for Fanduel Sportsbook. So, the odds—literally—are not in his favor. Those favorited to win include Dak Prescott (+300), Aidan Hutchinson (+320) and Christian McCaffrey (+370), per Fanduel.
Brooks has a strong point, though. If after two years of playing a combined 14 games, Alexander remains healthy and wins his toe-to-toe matchups against some high-caliber receivers in the division and on their entire schedule, he could be in line for Comeback Player of the Year, along with Pro Bowl and All-Pro nominations.
