- Joined
- Jan 16, 2006
- Messages
- 14,882
- Reaction score
- 41,580
- Points
- 148
Position preview: Cornerbacks
By Zac Jackson, Staff Writer
July 17, 2006
Leigh Bodden
Photo By John H. Reid III
The Browns have their top three cornerbacks working under long-term contracts, and all three have experience in tangling with the best receivers in the AFC North.
No, trying to slow the likes of Hines Ward, Chad Johnson and Derrick Mason - especially now that Mason will have Steve McNair throwing to him again - is not an easy task.
But the Browns seem to have the personnel to do it. In fact, it seems they're as a good and as deep at corner as they've been, with three players who could start for a lot of NFL teams.
The goal for training camp is to stay healthy, something neither Gary Baxter nor Daylon McCutcheon did last year, and to have at least one (maybe more) of the young, unheralded guys emerge and prove himself to be a legitimate NFL cornerback.
That happened with former undrafted free agent Leigh Bodden over the last couple years, and the Browns rewarded Bodden with a new, long-term contract last December. Bodden enters camp running neck-and-neck with his more experienced teammates, Baxter and McCutcheon, and is certainly a key player on the Browns' defense even if he doesn't technically win a starting job.
The battle for roster spots as backup cornerbacks should be a good one and will be determined by special teams ability and timely playmaking in training camp and preseason opportunities.
Probable Starters
Gary Baxter - High-profile addition prior to the '05 season is hoping to make up for lost time after missing the last 11 games last year with a pectoral injury. He's been cleared for full speed work and looks to improve on the two interceptions he had in his shortened season last year.
Daylon McCutcheon - Reliable, steady and certainly anxious to participate in camp after a scary bout with mysterious headaches kept him out of camp a year ago. McCutcheon brings experience and leadership and hopes to be a part of a winning team for just the second time in his career.
Leigh Bodden - Though he's not likely to start in the base defense if Baxter and McCutcheon are healthy, the Browns locked him up last December because Bodden is starter-quality and getting better. He's covered Chad Johnson as well as anyone in the league over the last two years.
In The Mix
Pete Hunter - Late-year pickup played in four games on special teams in '05 and will compete for a roster spot and defensive playing time in camp. He has 3 career interceptions in 34 games; he played three years with Dallas before the Browns signed him last December.
Antonio Perkins - 2005 fourth-round pick played in just one game last season and will have to compete to be a bigger factor this season. He has return ability, though he'd need to beat out incumbent starters for both return jobs, and a year in the league and in the Browns' systems should help.
DeMario Minter - The Browns have hopes for their fifth-round pick, but a knee problem held him out of most springtime activities and could limit him going forward. Stay tuned as camp progresses.
Chris Thompson and Daven Holly - Both played for the Bears last season and were added by the Browns in the last month - Thompson by waivers - to compete behind the top three corners. Both have good athleticism and at least some experience; worth watching as camp goes on.
James Thornton - Spent time on the practice squad last season and spent the spring playing in NFL Europe. This will be his third NFL training camp; he's yet to play in a regular season game.
Blake Farris, Willie Hughley and Jereme Perry - Undrafted rookies face an uphill climb in a pretty deep group of corners, but the coaches like them enough that they've been invited back to camp and will have a chance to compete with and learn from the veterans.
Bottom Line
If they stay healthy, the Browns' corners should be productive. An expected improved pass rush should help the pass defense, too.
This is part of a series previewing the Browns' position groups in 2006.
Link
By Zac Jackson, Staff Writer
July 17, 2006
Leigh Bodden
Photo By John H. Reid III
The Browns have their top three cornerbacks working under long-term contracts, and all three have experience in tangling with the best receivers in the AFC North.
No, trying to slow the likes of Hines Ward, Chad Johnson and Derrick Mason - especially now that Mason will have Steve McNair throwing to him again - is not an easy task.
But the Browns seem to have the personnel to do it. In fact, it seems they're as a good and as deep at corner as they've been, with three players who could start for a lot of NFL teams.
The goal for training camp is to stay healthy, something neither Gary Baxter nor Daylon McCutcheon did last year, and to have at least one (maybe more) of the young, unheralded guys emerge and prove himself to be a legitimate NFL cornerback.
That happened with former undrafted free agent Leigh Bodden over the last couple years, and the Browns rewarded Bodden with a new, long-term contract last December. Bodden enters camp running neck-and-neck with his more experienced teammates, Baxter and McCutcheon, and is certainly a key player on the Browns' defense even if he doesn't technically win a starting job.
The battle for roster spots as backup cornerbacks should be a good one and will be determined by special teams ability and timely playmaking in training camp and preseason opportunities.
Probable Starters
Gary Baxter - High-profile addition prior to the '05 season is hoping to make up for lost time after missing the last 11 games last year with a pectoral injury. He's been cleared for full speed work and looks to improve on the two interceptions he had in his shortened season last year.
Daylon McCutcheon - Reliable, steady and certainly anxious to participate in camp after a scary bout with mysterious headaches kept him out of camp a year ago. McCutcheon brings experience and leadership and hopes to be a part of a winning team for just the second time in his career.
Leigh Bodden - Though he's not likely to start in the base defense if Baxter and McCutcheon are healthy, the Browns locked him up last December because Bodden is starter-quality and getting better. He's covered Chad Johnson as well as anyone in the league over the last two years.
In The Mix
Pete Hunter - Late-year pickup played in four games on special teams in '05 and will compete for a roster spot and defensive playing time in camp. He has 3 career interceptions in 34 games; he played three years with Dallas before the Browns signed him last December.
Antonio Perkins - 2005 fourth-round pick played in just one game last season and will have to compete to be a bigger factor this season. He has return ability, though he'd need to beat out incumbent starters for both return jobs, and a year in the league and in the Browns' systems should help.
DeMario Minter - The Browns have hopes for their fifth-round pick, but a knee problem held him out of most springtime activities and could limit him going forward. Stay tuned as camp progresses.
Chris Thompson and Daven Holly - Both played for the Bears last season and were added by the Browns in the last month - Thompson by waivers - to compete behind the top three corners. Both have good athleticism and at least some experience; worth watching as camp goes on.
James Thornton - Spent time on the practice squad last season and spent the spring playing in NFL Europe. This will be his third NFL training camp; he's yet to play in a regular season game.
Blake Farris, Willie Hughley and Jereme Perry - Undrafted rookies face an uphill climb in a pretty deep group of corners, but the coaches like them enough that they've been invited back to camp and will have a chance to compete with and learn from the veterans.
Bottom Line
If they stay healthy, the Browns' corners should be productive. An expected improved pass rush should help the pass defense, too.
This is part of a series previewing the Browns' position groups in 2006.
Link