Man vs. Zone

Gilmore is clearly the better cornerback in any iteration of man coverage — in fact, he’s the best man cornerback in the NFL, and we really can’t contest that. Per Sports Info Solutions, in Cover-0, Cover-1, and 2-Man coverages, Gilmore has been targeted 52 times this season, allowing 22 completions for 285 yards, no touchdowns, and four of his interceptions. His QBR allowed in man coverage is 20.59 — among cornerbacks with at least 40 targets in man coverage this season, that ranks first, and Baltimore’s Marcus Peters ranks second at 50.91. (Baltimore’s Marlon Humphrey ranks third at 78.75, which is one of many indicators that Baltimore’s defense is more dangerous than you may think. But, we digress).

As for White in man coverage, he’s not bad at all, but he’s asked to do different things. White has been targeted 37 times in man coverage, allowing 15 completions for 132 yards, no touchdowns, one of his six interceptions, and an opposing QBR of 39.47.

When we switch to zone coverage, that’s what the Bills do more often, and that’s where White really shines. He’s allowed 23 catches on 40 targets for 285 yards, no touchdowns, five interceptions, and an opposing QBR of 35.94. Gilmore’s opposing QBR of 31.97 is slightly better, but he’s had fewer opportunities. Gilmore has been targeted 23 times in zone coverage, with 12 receptions allowed for 125 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions.

Could you flip the players into the schemes of the other and have it work? Gilmore’s skill set is better aligned to man coverage. He has so much justified confidence in his pattern-reading abilities and change of direction skills, he has absolutely no qualms about lining up right in the face of the opponent’s best receiver, tracking him all the way through whatever route he’s running, and shutting everything down. This pick against the Cowboys is a great example — Amari Cooper is one of the best receivers against man coverage this season (a league-leading six touchdowns against it in 2019), but he didn’t stand a chance against Gilmore on this rep, or in this game. Cooper caught two passes against the Patriots in Week 12 for a grand total of zero yards.

White, on the other hand, is slightly less aggressive, and perhaps more of a technician. His backpedal is a thing of beauty, which allows him to play off coverage more effectively. Few if any cornerbacks play bail coverage better — White has a supernatural ability to track the backfield with his eyes while keeping up with the most difficult routes and the most talented receivers. He showed this with his first interception against the Steelers, covering speed receiver James Washington downfield. If you want to draw up a zone cornerback and all that is required from the position, White is as close to the paradigm as you’ll find in the league today.

It’s not that Gilmore couldn’t re-purpose himself into a top zone cornerback at this point, and it’s not that White couldn’t become one of the league’s better man cornerbacks if that was the requirement. The larger point is, when we discuss which NFL player is “better” at a certain positional skill, we must also consider the subtleties and subgroups of their positional requirements — what they’re asked to do, and how well they do it.

Supporting Casts

The Bills have one of the NFL’s best overall pass defenses this season — they’ve allowed just 13 passing touchdowns, tied with the Ravens for second-best. However, the Patriots are performing at a different level. They’ve allowed just 10 passing touchdowns, and they have 25 interceptions to Buffalo’s 13. Not that interceptions are the ultimate arbiter of pass defense efficiency, but that tells you a bit about the relative risk when you decide to throw into New England’s secondary. Safeties Devin McCourty and Duron Harmon have allowed one touchdown and have picked off seven passes between them. Cornerback J.C. Jackson would be the number-one guy on at least half the NFL’s defenses right now.

And here’s where Gilmore has a distinct advantage — every single starting defensive back in the Patriots’ secondary is playing at an insane level. New England as a team is allowing an opposing QBR of 57.39, which is the NFL’s best by a fairly crushing margin. Buffalo ranks second at 76.73. Safety Micah Hyde is playing very well this season, but fellow safety Jordan Poyer has allowed 16 catches on 21 targets, three touchdowns to two picks, and an opponent passer rating of 110.0. The Bills also have an issue at the outside cornerback position opposite White — Levi Wallace and Kevin Johnson have been alternating reps, and while Wallace has a ton of potential, he’s still finding his feet.

Part of Gilmore’s confidence as a player this year has to do with the success rate of everybody around him; White doesn’t have that same luxury.

Conclusion

Stephon Gilmore is asked to be an enforcer in the most man-centric defense in the NFL, and nobody does it better. Tre’Davious White is a surgeon in zone coverage, and as good as he is, he’s probably hasn’t hit his ceiling yet. The only people who lose in this discussion are the quarterbacks who have to deal with them. Tom Brady and Josh Allen, two quarterbacks with massively different background who are dealing with their own efficiency and consistency issues this season, will want to know where White and Gilmore are, respectively, on every snap.

It is always true of the league’s best cornerbacks, and in 2019, Stephon Gilmore and Tre’Davious White are it.