Canal Street Chronicles
Time to look at the corners.
On our next edition of the position groups, the cornerbacks are here. This position group is one of the most hit-or-miss in the league, but once a team finds its star, the whole defense is upgraded. Some teams have found their star, some value depth, and some have massive questions, so let’s see the rankings.
Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers
Going into the offseason, the Ravens had a decent group of corners with rookie Nate Wiggins having a good rookie season and slot corner Marlon Humphrey staying elite, but Baltimore made another addition that was a massive upgrade. When the Packers cut Jaire Alexander, the Ravens were out in front for the top corner, and they won the race for his signature.
Out of all the teams in the AFC North, the Bengals are the one without a great cornerback room. Last season, they struggled and were a major reason for the devastating losses. Upgrades were needed, and although the Bengals made additions to rebuild the room, it is still a worry.
Even though the Browns have numerous issues throughout their roster and have struggled to win games in recent years, their cornerback group has consistently been a strength of the team. Denzel Ward, when healthy, is the main reason this group succeeds, but besides him, it gets bleak. The one other bright spot among the cornerbacks is Greg Newsome.
Like with the Ravens, the Steelers made a massive move this offseason to upgrade their cornerback room, except Pittsburgh did it through a trade. The Steelers traded safety Minkah Fitzpatrick for star cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Adding Ramsey to a room that was already decent is a massive boost to this defense.
The Broncos defense did wonders for their success last season, and one of the main players attributed to that success was cornerback Patrick Surtain. Even with Surtain, the Broncos defensive back room is really good with Riley Moss on the opposite side, and now rookie first round pick DB Jahdae Barron added to this defense.
Last offseason, the Chiefs made a big move by trading their star corner, L’Jarius Sneed, to the Titans. The pass defense in Kansas City could have a big issue throughout the season, but CB Trent McDuffie took over and never looked back.
Very similar to the AFC North, there is one team in this division that is not like the others. The Raiders have had pass defense struggles for a while, and things may not change next season. As of now, Las Vegas is projected to have their third-round pick Darien Porter start right away. Starting a rookie cornerback is always a massive risk and could go wrong very quick.
There was a real possibility the Chargers would also have a struggling pass defense going into last season, but after hitting on some late...
