[jwplayer fbbypsUl-ThvAeFxT]
We’ve been adamant since the Cincinnati Bengals quietly signed cornerback Mackensie Alexander that the team got one of the bigger steals of free agency.
Alexander wasn’t nearly as hyped as his former Minnesota Vikings teammate Trae Waynes, nor did he get even close to the money Waynes got from the Bengals.
And yet…it’s Alexander who could end up having a massive impact.
Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar recently amplified this sort of idea by naming Alexander as one of the best outright slot players in the NFL:
“Alexander did this well enough, playing slot on 468 of his 562 coverage snaps and allowing 40 receptions on 57 targets for 364 yards, 130 yards after the catch, one touchdown, one interception, and an opponent passer rating of 85.7. An above-average technician capable of mirroring and matching routes and working to deflect at the right time, Alexander could be a serious contributor to Cincinnati’s defense if defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo can do a better job of matching scheme to personnel.”
The Bengals haven’t been strangers to great slot players over the years. Darqueze Dennard was the latest and they might have something with Darius Phillips.
But Alexander — in town on merely a one-year deal worth $4 million — is a candidate to easily outplay the contract the Bengals gave him.
There’s a reason Mackenise is constantly hailed as a steal here and pops up on lists like the above. A terrible market for slot cornerbacks (Dennard and Logan Ryan still haven’t been signed) shouldn’t overshadow the quality of this signing and what it could mean improvement-wise for a revamped Bengals defense.
[vertical-gallery id=35614]