New England Patriots: Six Takeaways from the Preseason So Far
By Hal Bent
DEPTH CORNERBACK BATTLE RAGES ON:
When the New England Patriots went from future Hall-of-Fame cornerback Darrelle Revis and former Legion of Boom founder Brandon Bolden after the 2014 season most observers were puzzled. Why did Bill Belichick jettison the veterans rather than keep their Super Bowl duo together? To further complicate the moves, the Patriots also released top backups Kyle Arrington and Alfonzo Dennard.
Young cornerbacks Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan both stepped up last year and were one of the top-five cornerback duos in the AFC as both exceeded expectations. Both are back in this year and the Patriots added cornerback Cyrus Jones in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He is battling last year’s surprise contributor at cornerback Justin Coleman who joined the team during the season and was solid as the third cornerback.
Jones has also contributed on special teams as well as showcasing his athleticism at cornerback. Coleman was picked on in the first two games before bouncing back strong against Carolina in preseason game three. The two are neck-to-neck in the battle for the nickel cornerback role right now.
However, the biggest battle is behind the first four as youngster Darryl Roberts, and undrafted free agents Jonathan Jones, and Cre’Von LeBlanc have impressed. LeBlanc has allowed just a 24.2 passer rating against with an interception and two pass breakups; Jones allowed just 52 yards passing on 11 targets with three pass breakups and finally Roberts (who spent all last season on injured reserve after an electric training camp) shook off a rough training camp to allow just one reception on 11 targets with three pass breakups and a pass interference penalty (Cornerback stats from Doug Kyed at NESN.com).
There is just one spot potentially open between the three young cornerbacks as Butler, Ryan, Coleman and Cyrus Jones seem to have the top four spots tied up. LeBlanc and Roberts appear to be better cornerbacks than Jonathan Jones, but Jones has been excellent on special teams which could help his case. Roberts seemed to be on track for a roster spot last year which seems to give him an advantage. However, LeBlanc has been the most consistent over three preseason games and has been entering the game first off the bench.
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