Tag: cornerback

Everyone raving about Commanders CB Mike Sainristil after performance vs. Eagles

Commanders CB Mike Sainristil was phenomenal against the Eagles. Here’s a collection of what some around the NFL said about Sainristil.

Lost in the talk surrounding Philadelphia Eagles rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell’s performance on Thursday night was another rookie cornerback. Washington Commanders rookie cornerback Mike Sainristil was equally as impressive as Mitchell, often with his less help.

While Mitchell often matched up with Commanders star Terry McLaurin, holding him without a catch (McLaurin had one reception for the game), the Eagles frequently gave him some help over the top.

Meanwhile, Washington’s struggling secondary needed someone to step up. Enter Sainristil. The second-round pick was expected to primarily play slot cornerback, but he’s been forced to play more outside out of necessity, and he’s thriving.

During Thursday’s loss to the Eagles, Sainristil matched up with A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Jahan Dotson. He allowed two receptions on the night for a total of 31 yards. PFF gave him a grade of 89.0 — Washington’s highest of the night.

Commanders’ fans know they have a gem in Sainristil. Now, others are taking notice, too.

Check out some of these reactions to Sainristil’s play from X.

Warren Sharp:

Ryan Fowler:

Doug Farrar:

Check out the tackling:

Darius Butler:

 

When Marshon Lattimore makes his debut, the Commanders’ cornerback position will quickly go from a weakness to a strength with him and Sainristil on the outside.

Is it time to hit the panic button on Joey Porter Jr.?

As Joey Porter Jr. continues to shows signs of regression after a strong rookie year with the Steelers, is it time to panic?

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr., the Steelers’ second-year cornerback from Penn State, entered his rookie season in 2023 with high expectations and ultimately earned the respect of both his peers and fans. However, his second NFL season has been disappointing, to say the least.

Through nine games in the 2024 season, Porter has allowed 26 receptions for 365 yards and a quarterback passer rating of 94.5. At this rate, he is on pace to allow 689 yards by the season’s end. This marks a noticeable decline from his 2023 rookie season, where he allowed just 25 receptions for 385 yards and a QB passer rating of 68.8 over 17 games.

Though Porter has shown inconsistency throughout the season, his worst performance came in Week 10 against the Washington Commanders. He allowed 131 yards on six receptions, which accounted for 71% of Washington’s 182 total receiving yards.

Pittsburgh may need to evaluate its options moving forward, perhaps by giving Porter additional practice reps or placing a safety over him during man-coverage plays, as the Steelers defense need to keep his inefficiency under control heading into a difficult second half stretch of the 2024 season.

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Falcons sign cornerback who had brief stint with Broncos

The Falcons signed ex-Broncos cornerback Lamar Jackson to their practice squad ahead of Sunday’s game in Denver.

The Atlanta Falcons are signing a former Denver Broncos cornerback to their practice squad ahead of their game in Denver this week.

Atlanta has signed cornerback Lamar Jackson (not to be confused with the quarterback Lamar Jackson), via Matt Urben of Falcons Wire. It’s probably not a signing made to gain intel on their opponent because Jackson hasn’t played with the Broncos since 2022, and the team’s staff and scheme have changed over the last two years.

Jackson, 26, initially joined Denver’s practice squad in 2022 before later being promoted to the active roster. He dressed for three games with the Broncos and totaled three tackles. Jackson has recorded 31 tackles and four pass breakups in 23 career games (six starts) in the NFL.

Elsewhere on the ex-Bronco front, the New Orleans Saints released offensive lineman Connor McGovern on Monday, and the Miami Dolphins activated wide receiver River Cracraft from injured reserve. McGovern (2016-2019) and Cracraft (2017-2019) started their NFL careers in Denver.

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Oklahoma Sooners true freshman one of the best in Power Four, per PFF

Eli Bowen has quickly become the best cornerback on Oklahoma’s roster.

For all of the successes of the Oklahoma Sooners defense in 2024, the biggest weakness has been the cornerback position. Multiple times, we’ve seen high-level play from OU’s defensive line, inside linebackers, cheetahs and safeties, but the cornerbacks haven’t been able to consistently perform at that level.

But that certainly isn’t the fault of true freshman [autotag]Eli Bowen[/autotag]. He began the year buried on the depth chart at corner, but began playing more and more once [autotag]SEC[/autotag] action rolled around. With the season-ending injury to Gentry Williams, it turns out Bowen’s presence has become even more crucial.

He’s been so good so fast that Pro Football Focus currently has him as the fourth-highest graded true freshman at the Power Four level in 2024. He’s the second in the SEC behind Texas’ Colin Simmons.

With instability at the position opposite him, Bowen has become rock-solid in just a few games on one side of the field. Despite being inexperienced and undersized, he’s playing much older and bigger than anyone expected less than a season into his collegiate career.

Steelers-Commanders matchups to watch: Joey Porter Jr. vs Terry McLaurin

CB Joey Porter Jr. faces WR Terry McLaurin in a key Week 10 positional matchup as the Steelers take on the Commanders in a pivotal showdown.

One of the premier matchups heading into the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 10 contest versus the Commanders is none other than Pittsburgh’s young shutdown CB Joey Porter Jr., taking on Washington’s elite WR Terry McLaurin.

JPJ has had an up-and-down start to the 2024 season, to say the least. Through eight games, Porter Jr. has allowed 20 receptions on 32 targets. According to PFF, he is also allowing 11.7 yards per reception, which ranks 75th out of 205 eligible cornerbacks. However, in his past two performances, JPJ has allowed an impressively small 25 yards combined in Weeks 7 and 8 against strong wide receiver units.

‘Scary’ Terry appears to be on the verge of a breakout 2024 campaign, hauling in six touchdowns, which is tied for the second-most in the NFL, and 598 receiving yards on 42 receptions. With an average of 14.2 yards per reception, McLaurin looks to be a major threat in Week 10’s contest.

Can the second-year CB lock down McLaurin in Week 10? Or will McLaurin exploit Porter Jr.’s over-reliance on physicality?

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Will Mike Tomlin choose loyalty over Beanie Bishop Jr. in Week 10?

Mike Tomlin has mishandled Steelers’ positional battles in the past. Could Beanie Bishop Jr. and Cameron Sutton’s situation may be next?

Pittsburgh is currently facing another positional battle, which is typically a good problem to have. However, CB Beanie Bishop Jr.’s selection as the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Month in October, along with his overall performance in 2024, has muddied the waters surrounding CB Cameron Sutton’s inevitable return. 

Bishop took the high road, stating that he is not only unfazed by potentially losing playing time to the veteran CB but is also excited for Sutton to rejoin the team. 

Tomlin, however, enjoys letting these positional battles unfold before making quick decisions. As seen with Roman Wilson’s usage prior to his hamstring injury, Tomlin may choose players he trusts, or those to whom he is loyal, over quality play. 

In Week 10, is Sutton the next player to ‘earn’ starting responsibilities over a younger, more dynamic player? Only time will tell, but it will be interesting to see how this positional battle unfolds before the Black and Gold faithful’s eyes. 

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Steelers’ CB Beanie Bishop Jr. named Defensive Rookie of the Month

Steelers’ CB Beanie Bishop Jr. has become one of the team’s best 2024 acquisitions so far, and was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month.

K Chris Boswell isn’t the only Steelers player to earn recognition for his performance in the month of October. Rookie CB Beanie Bishop Jr., who seems to improve each week, has been named the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Month for his outstanding play in October. 

Bishop turned heads in Week 7 when he intercepted four-time MVP QB Aaron Rodgers not once, but twice. In Week 8, the rookie intercepted QB Daniel Jones, sealing the victory for his team. The young slot cornerback has admirably filled what appeared to be an area of concern for the Steelers heading into the 2024 season. 

With veteran CB Cameron Sutton, whose natural position is also in the slot, returning from suspension in Week 10, no one can truly justify benching Bishop after the rookie’s dominant performance in October.  Fans of the Steel City are more than excited to see what the future holds for the undrafted rookie.

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Alontae Taylor on constantly shifting roles: ‘I’m used to it’

Injuries may push Alontae Taylor to strictly lining up outside this week. But changing roles isn’t anything new for the Saints’ slot corner:

Injuries to New Orleans Saints cornerbacks Marshon Lattimore and Kool-Aid McKinstry may keep Alontae Taylor from playing any snaps in the slot on Sunday.

After Paulson Adebo’s season-ending injury, Dennis Allen moved Taylor outside in his base defense. When the New Orleans Saints were in nickel formation, McKinstry played outside and Taylor went back inside.

But McKinstry was downgraded to a DNP on Thursday, and Lattimore hasn’t practiced all week. Both are dealing with hamstring injuries, and it doesn’t seem like either is trending towards playing against the Carolina Panthers.

Current plans seem like safety Ugo Amadi will play the nickel, which he did last week. This is another shift for Taylor. He started the year at solely nickel corner, then he played both inside and outside last week and it appears he’ll strictly be a boundary corner this Sunday.

Moving around is nothing new, and Taylor said, “At this point I guess I’m used to it.”

It helps that Taylor is going to his natural position. He maintains that he is a cornerback who has gotten comfortable playing the nickel. The comfortability outside means no acclimation period. Even if it’s just Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers, it’s still another NFL team, and Taylor knows he can’t take them lightly.

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Steelers’ CB officially reinstated after 8-game suspension

Steelers’ CB Cameron Sutton has officially been reinstated after serving an 8-game suspension for violating the personal conduct policy.

Some much needed assistance to an already impressive Steelers’ secondary has arrived.  CB Cameron Sutton, who rejoined the Pittsburgh Steelers back in June 5th, 2024, has been officially reinstated after serving an eight-game suspension to start the season.

Sutton’s suspension was a result of violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. His play for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2016 to 2022 was immaculate, to say the least.  He would ultimately price himself out of the Steel City, signing with the Detroit Lions in the 2023 offseason. The Lions had initially released Sutton as a result of his violation, and Steelers gave their former CB a second-chance to play in the league again.

How will Sutton’s return impact the already great Steelers’ 2024 defense?  Given how amazing rookie slot corner Beanie Bishop Jr. has been to start the season, how will HC Mike Tomlin handle starting responsibilities?  Sutton’s natural position lies in the slot, and this could present another positional battle for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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Saints rookie DB is about to be thrown into the fire

Kool-Aid McKinstry started in Week 2, but playing opposite of Marshon Lattimore is a much different experience. This is why the Saints drafted him:

Kool-Aid McKinstry’s rookie season completely changed when Paulson Adebo went down with injury. McKinstry goes from being a minor player in the system to basically being a starter. But the New Orleans Saints drafted him so highly because an emergency like this might happen.

He’ll be the outside corner opposite Marshon Lattimore in the Saints’ nickel defense, which they run more often than almost any other personnel grouping. You’ll frequently see Lattimore, McKinstry and slot corner Alontae Taylor on the field together.

This is similar to the role McKinstry played against the Dallas Cowboys, but the difference comes from who is on the other side of the field. In Week 2, the rookie filled in for Lattimore. This week, he’s playing opposite of Lattimore.

Even though Adebo is a good cornerback, he was one of the NFL’s most-targeted players in coverage because teams didn’t want to try Lattimore. That tendency didn’t change with a rookie entering the lineup. Lattimore is rarely challenged. That’s another tendency that is unlikely to change.

McKinstry saw just two targets on 12 passing snaps in Week 2. He probably won’t see another game with just two targets. He also will see more than 12 snaps on passing plays as well.

In limited action, McKinstry has looked good. He’s about to really jump in the fire playing opposite of the Saints top corner. Expect to see McKinstry much more than you did against the Cowboys.

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