New England Patriots: Revisiting Preseason Predictions
By Hal Bent
DEPTH CORNERBACK BATTLE RAGES ON
I SAID THEN:
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…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…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.
I SAY NOW:
The depth was tested as the competition looked strong in camp, but Justin Coleman regressed and Cyrus Jones had a bad rookie season. Roberts was cut and ended up with the Jets while LeBlanc ended up in Chicago. Jonathan Jones ended up in New England but has played primarily on special teams.
New England traded with Philadelphia for former second-round draft pick Eric Rowe. Rowe stepped up when Ryan was struggling and actually assumed the starting role for a while. Rowe has size that the position lacked and has done well as the third cornerback (which is a position usually get 60 to 85% of the snaps depending on the game plan.
As Logan Ryan has returned to his 2015 form, the addition of Rowe has given the secondary the boost they needed to improve third down defense. Per ESPN, the Patriots’ defense finished eighth in the NFL in defensive passer rating allowing opposing quarterbacks just an 84.4 passer rating, up from 13th in the league last year and close to the Super Bowl champion defense in 2014 which allowed and 84.0 defensive passer rating.
LeBlanc and Roberts both stepped in and played well in 2016. LeBlanc stepped in and started nine games for the Bears and had two interceptions and ten passes defended. Roberts started two games in New York and played in 12 and had six passes defended.
That said, despite the promise of the young cornerbacks, it was a wise move to add a young veteran in Rowe to solidify the unit.