Tag: Brian Poole

Jets CB Brian Poole on Browns’ radar ahead of free agency

The Jets should have some competition if they hope to re-sign Brian Poole.

The Jets should have some competition if they hope to re-sign Brian Poole.

The slot cornerback is one of several defenders on the Browns’ radar, according to Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot. Ravens pass-rusher Matt Judon, Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman and Titans linebacker Jayon Brown were also mentioned as possible targets for Cleveland.

The Browns will need a new nickel corner if they don’t re-sign Kevin Williams. That’s where Poole could come in.

Poole has spent the last two seasons in New York, playing at a high level when healthy. He only played in nine games in 2020 thanks to season-ending shoulder surgery, but he was still ranked the 10th-best corner in the NFL by Pro Football Focus. He ranked ninth in 2019 after playing in 14 games.

Poole finished his 2020 season with seven passes defended, one sack and 44 tackles.

Poole came to the Jets from the Falcons as a free agent ahead of the 2019 season. New York re-signed him last offseason and could look to do so again later this month. Poole has been the most reliable member of New York’s cornerback room for two years now, and it would be wise to keep the 28-year-old veteran around an otherwise inexperienced, unproven group.

If not, the Jets could also look at impending 49ers free agent K’Waun Williams, who played under Robert Saleh in San Francisco.

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Chargers Free Agency: 7 potential replacements for CB Casey Hayward

The Los Angeles Chargers might look to free agency to find Casey Hayward’s replacement.

The Chargers released cornerback Casey Hayward on Saturday.

With Michael Davis currently a pending a free agent, there aren’t many other ready-made answers on the roster to step into that role.

With that being said, let’s take a look at a few potential free agent options.

Here are seven cornerbacks who are about to hit the market this offseason that head coach Brandon Staley and company could consider signing.

Free agent cornerbacks for the Browns to consider in 2021

Lots of slot corners and an old friend highlight the list

Cornerback is a definite need for the Cleveland Browns as the team approaches the beginning of the 2021 league year. Outside of Pro Bowler Denzel Ward, the team has a lot more questions than answers at CB.

A healthy return from Greedy Williams would certainly help, but the Browns are losing the No. 2 and No. 3 CBs from 2020 with Terrance Mitchell and Kevin Johnson each slated for free agency. Restricted free agent Tavierre Thomas, who saw action as a reserve, is not expected back as well.

It’s a decent free agent class of corners. The strength of the class appears to be inside with corners best-suited for slot duty, which is where Johnson manned the field in 2020. Here are a few choice candidates who should be affordable scheme fits for coach Kevin Stefanski and coordinator Joe Woods’ defense in Cleveland.

All players listed here are set to be unrestricted free agents as of March 17th or are already free agents.

Browns free agency decision: CB Kevin Johnson – performance and potential upgrades

The Browns could keep Johnson but also have other options presented here

When the Cleveland Browns signed CB Kevin Johnson to a one-year deal worth $3.5M, they were hoping to get the 2019 Buffalo Bills version of Johnson. They didn’t. Johnson was brought in to fill the nickel cornerback position. He missed most of the Browns truncated training camp due to a lacerated liver, but was able to get on the field by Week 3 of the regular season.

Performance

Johnson was occasionally forced to play outside due to the absence of Greedy Williams and the ongoing roster shuffle of players on and off of the Covid-19/Reserve list. He played 225 snaps out wide and 338 in the slot according to Pro Football Focus. 

Overall, Johnson was inconsistent at best as the former 1st round pick’s performance remained disappointing compared to where he was drafted and what he has shown on tape at times in his career. In Johnson’s second season in the league, he posted his best PFF grade of 81.2 for the Houston Texans which he followed up with consecutive seasons of grades below 50 (46.1, 38.6). In 2019, he signed on with the Buffalo Bills and showed he could potentially be what the Texans thought they were getting when they drafted him 16th overall, posting a grade of 71.9.

Unfortunately, he failed to sustain that level of play with the Browns in 2020, posting an overall grade of 51.4 and a coverage grade of 52.6. He finished ranked 96th out of 121 eligible cornerbacks per PFF.

Potential Upgrades

The Browns should be looking to upgrade multiple positions on the defense in 2021 and this should be one of them. Having a good nickel cornerback is vital in today’s game and it’s consistently increasing emphasis on the pass game.

There are a number of players the Browns will likely look to acquire in free agency that specialize at playing in the slot and would make the defense better. A nickel corner that would make sense is CB Mike Hilton of the Pittsburgh Steelers who has played almost exclusively in the slot. Hilton has been terrific in both man and zone coverage, defending the run and when blitzing.

CB Troy Hill of the Los Angeles Rams has spent his share of time as an outside corner, but he excelled when moved into the slot after they acquired Jalen Ramsey. Hill is very versatile and could play either in the slot or outside but is probably best suited to go against smaller wide receivers in the slot.

CB Brian Poole of the New York Jets, fits in nicely as NFL nickel cornerback at 5-9, 215 lbs. Poole has emerged as one of the best slot corners in the game over the last two years, only allowing one touchdown and holding the opponent’s quarterback passer rating under 70 when targeting him during that time. He has been incredibly consistent and will be valued in free agency.

The Browns would do well to come away with any of these players. The nickel corner position is often undervalued in the NFL which does suppress their value on the free agent market somewhat. Depending on the currently fluid salary cap situation for the 2021 season, I would expect all of three players to command somewhere between $4M-$6M per year, which is not bad considering they paid $3.5M for Kevin Johnson.

Johnson will likely catch on somewhere for just over the veterans minimum with some incentives included as a way to make some of his value back. I would be surprised if the Browns brought him back for next season.

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Marcus Maye, Neville Hewitt among 5 impending free agents Jets should re-sign

Now that the offseason has officially begun for New York, Jets Wire takes a look at five impending free agents the Jets should bring back.

Many decisions lie ahead for Joe Douglas.

Besides hiring a new head coach, the Jets have to focus on retaining their own players, some of them before free agency begins in March. The Jets have 25 players slated to hit the open market. Among them are starters, depth pieces and veterans.

After going 2-14, the Jets are certainly going to experience more roster turnover. However, there’s a handful of free agents Douglas should want to bring back for 2021 and beyond.

Jets CB Brian Poole has season-ending surgery

The cornerback hits keep on coming for the Jets this week.

The cornerback hits keep on coming for the Jets this week. The team announced on Thursday that slot cornerback Brian Poole is having season-ending shoulder surgery.

On Tuesday, the Jets had already placed Poole on the team’s injured reserve list. Poole had also been dealing with a knee injury as of late.

Despite all the struggles Gang Green has had in 2020, Poole had been one of a few bright spots. Along with his two interceptions, sack, and seven passes defended this season, Pro Football Focus was very high on him. The football analytics outlet graded Poole as the seventh-best cornerback in the NFL through 10 games, giving him a 77.1 overall grade. Poole had played 77 percent of the Jets’ snaps on defense in 2020.

Poole signed a one-year deal with the Jets this past offseason worth $5 million. The 28-year-old will hit free agency after this season.

Along with the latest on Poole, New York’s cornerback room has taken other knocks. Cornerback Pierre Desire was also released on Tuesday. He was only nine games into a one-year deal he signed. Jets head coach Adam Gase said on Wednesday Desir was cut to give younger guys more playing time down the stretch.

Among such players would be Bless Austin, who’s also currently dealing with a neck injury himself. If Austin can’t play in Week 11 against the Chargers, the Jets’ depth chart would include rookies Bruce Hall, Lamar Jackson, Jav Guidry, along with Arthur Maulet and the recently signed Corey Ballentine. Maulet would be the most likely replacement for Poole in the slot.

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Jets injury report: Mekhi Becton had trouble breathing with chest injury

Adam Gase provided injury updates on Mekhi Becton, Sam Darnold and Brian Poole on Tuesday, following New York’s 30-27 loss on Monday night.

Mekhi Becton (chest) was forced to leave Monday night’s game early and was ultimately ruled out. Adam Gase announced on Tuesday that Becton’s chest injury caused him to have trouble breathing.

Gase said the Jets did everything they could to make sure Becton was good, per The Athletic’s Connor Hughes. After the fiasco with Becton’s shoulder injury earlier in the season, the Jets elected to not put him back in the game.

Becton’s injury is not muscle-related, nor is it related to his heart or lungs. Gase is hopeful that he can play in New York’s next game following its bye in Week 10.

As for Sam Darnold, Gase believes that his starting quarterback is feeling better. Darnold reaggravated his throwing shoulder, which he suffered a sprained AC joint in, against Kansas City. He still hasn’t figured out a throwing regimen and has been consulting with outside doctors, making sure he gets as many opinions on his shoulder as he hopes to heal so he can “finish the season strong,” Darnold said, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini.

Right now, he’s taking it day-to-day, but added that his shoulder gets better every day.

Lastly, Brian Poole, who was also ruled out of Monday night’s game after playing just eight snaps, has no structural damage in his knee. Gase is optimistic about Poole’s timely return.

NFL trade deadline: 7 cornerbacks the Bills could target

Cornerbacks the Buffalo Bills could target at the 2020 NFL Trade Deadline.

The 2020 NFL trade deadline is right around the corner. It’s slated for Tuesday at 4 p.m.

Sitting at 5-2 overall and in control of their own destiny at this point, could the Buffalo Bills add to their arsenal to solidify themselves as a legitimate contender in the AFC? Despite their record, the Bills do certainly have a hole or two they could stand to fill in their roster.

In this part of Bills Wire’s trade deadline coverage, we’ll take a look at a couple of cornerbacks the Bills could target as Tuesday inches closer and closer:

Instant Analysis: Third-down struggles, blown coverages cost Jets in loss to Dolphins

Jets Wire breaks down New York’s Week 6 loss to the Dolphins.

As is the case on a weekly basis, the Jets never had a chance to win on Sunday.

New York got down early and never came close to recovering against the Dolphins, as Miami handed the Jets their sixth loss of 2020 by a final score of 24-0. Adam Gase’s offense could not get anything going, while Gregg Williams’ defense turned in yet another undisciplined and underwhelming performance.

Don’t expect the Jets’ fortunes to change when the Bills roll into MetLife Stadium next weekend. If anything, things are about to get a whole lot worse for a New York team that has been no stranger to embarrassment this season.

Game Balls

Braden Mann: This is indicative of the Jets’ struggles in 2020, but Mann has been one of New York’s lone bright spots so far this season. The sixth-round pick had another busy day and used it to show he is the real deal at punter.

Brian Poole: Poole was one of the few players on New York’s defense that came to play on Sunday, making a touchdown-saving tackle and an interception in the second quarter.

Instant Analysis

-How can a team be expected to go out and compete when its head coach and defensive coordinator are publicly feuding? If the “adults” in the room can’t get their act together, it’s tough to expect the same out of the players.

-So much for the emphasis on eliminating penalties. Three personal fouls and seven total flags cost the Jets 80 yards against the Dolphins. You can say what you want about New York’s lack of talent and poor coaching, but its lack of discipline is a big reason why Gang Green has lost six consecutive games.

-It took the Jets 50 minutes and 13 attempts to convert on a third down. That perfectly encapsulates New York’s struggles in 2020.

-Gase’s unwillingness to use La’Mical Perine more than Frank Gore is astounding. Perine is the only running back the Jets have that can go for six on any given play, yet Gore is the featured back. Heck, Ty Johnson should be seeing more touches as well with the season already lost. Another example of Gase being stuck in his ways and the Jets suffering as a result.

-Speaking of a coach’s unwillingness to use a player, why is it that Williams did not start giving Avery Williamson the snaps he deserves until it was absolutely necessary? Williamson still has plenty left in the tank, yet Alec Ogletree was taking the bulk of his playing time for a while. The head-scratching decisions from this coaching staff keep piling up.

-Do the Jets have any idea how to cover tight ends? The number of busted coverages in New York’s secondary that allowed Miami’s tight ends to break loose was unacceptable.

-Six punts, four first downs for the Jets in the first half. At least Mann’s development has been fast-tracked so far this season?

-How does an NFL team nearly accumulate a negative amount of passing yards in a half of football? The Jets continue to accomplish the impossibly bad every time out.

-A positive note: At least Marcus Maye gave Jets fans something to smile about when he picked off Ryan Fitzpatrick in the fourth quarter. It was a meaningless play given the score and time remaining, but an impressive one nonetheless.

-If the Jets were ever going to defeat an AFC East opponent before their Week 10 bye, it was Sunday against the Dolphins. Then again, even Miami is worlds ahead of New York right now. Is there a win on Gang Green’s 2020 schedule? It’s tough to say at this point.

WATCH: Former Gators CB Brian Poole makes a big interception for New York Jets

Cornerback Brian Poole made a big interception of Broncos quarterback Brett Rypien on a second-&-eight play with 8:43 remaining in the game.

The National Football League saw action on Thursday night when two winless teams collided in the Meadowlands of East Rutherford, N.J. Something had to give, and the Denver Broncos pulled off the road win against the New York Jets, 37-28, to earn their first victory of the year.

The game was close right up to the end, and one former Florida Gator helped heighten the suspense in the fourth quarter. Cornerback Brian Poole made a big interception of Broncos quarterback Brett Rypien on a second-and-eight play with 8:43 remaining in the game and his Jets down by two points.

Unfortunately, it was not enough to put New York over the top, as Denver went on to score another touchdown while the Jets only managed a meager field goal for the remainder of the game. Poole finished with a total of four solo tackles and that one pass defended; his fellow former defensive back Gator Marcus Maye had two solo tackles, one assisted tackle and a tackle for a loss.

Also of note, rookie running back Lamical Perine also appeared in the game for New York, carrying the ball five times for 15 yards.

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