Tag: coverage

Tre’Davious White, Jalen Ramsey contract extensions tee up Marshon Lattimore

New contract extensions for Bills corner Tre’Davious White and Rams star Jalen Ramsey set the stage for the Saints and Marshon Lattimore.

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The market rate for top-level cornerbacks surged this week as new contract extensions were hammered out for big names around the league. Buffalo Bills corner Tre’Davious White raised the bar by signing a deal averaging $17.5 million per season, and Los Angeles Rams defender Jalen Ramsey leaped it by earning his own payday at $21 million per year.

While he’s under contract through 2021 after the New Orleans Saints triggered his fifth-year option, this movement spells out great news for 24-year old cornerback Marshon Lattimore. Lattimore is younger than both White and Ramsey, and is one of the next free agents-to-be at their position due for an extension (along with Seattle Seahawks star Shaquill Griffin).

Should the Saints be in a hurry to address Lattimore’s contract situation? They do have team control for the next two seasons, but his value will only keep going up the longer they wait. He’ll have grounds to demand the same rate as Ramsey, if not more should Griffin or other players raise the price even higher. And that’s before you consider that the salary cap is expected to plummet down to at least $175 million next summer.

For context, here are Lattimore’s regular season stats compared against White and Ramsey since 2018, per Pro Football Reference:

  • Marshon Lattimore: 30 games played, 3 interceptions and 26 passes defensed, 4 forced fumbles (3 recovered), 102 completions on 178 targets (57.3%) for 1,492 passing yards (3.4 receptions and 49.7 yards per game allowed) and 6 touchdown passes
  • Tre’Davious White: 31 games played, 8 interceptions and 25 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles (0 recovered), 85 completions on 163 targets (52.1%) for 1,087 passing yards (2.7 receptions and 35.1 yards per game allowed) and 2 touchdown passes
  • Jalen Ramsey: 28 games played (19 with Jaguars, 9 with Rams), 4 interceptions and 18 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles (0 recovered), 106 completions on 181 targets (58.6%) for 1,405 passing yards (3.8 receptions and 50.2 yards per game allowed) and 4 touchdown passes

If anything, White should have waited a few days for Ramsey’s contract to get finalized. Lattimore is certainly going to benefit from it. While they’re each very different players — White plays his best football in zone coverage, while Lattimore and Ramsey stand out more in bump-and-run man coverage — and hold different meaning to their teams, each of them is at the forefront in a wave of rising salaries around the league.

So what do you think? Should the Saints keep Lattimore’s big extension on the back burner and focus on deals closer to expiration? Or should they get out in front of this thing and try to strike while the iron is hot, and before it’ll cost them even more salary cap resources?

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Chiefs to show live coverage of training camp starting today

Training camp is coming to the Chiefs Kingdom starting at 3 p.m. CT.

Kansas City Chiefs training camp is underway and starting tomorrow you’ll get a live glimpse of the action.

The Voice of the Chiefs, Mitch Holthus, and Chiefs.com reporter, Matt McMullen, will be live at Chiefs training camp getting the entire Chiefs Kingdom up to speed with what is going on at practice.

They’re going to cover a variety of topics from health and safety protocols related to the COVID-19 pandemic to the players that they’re excited to watch. It remains to be seen just how much live-action from practice will be shown. It’d stand to reason that at the very least they’ll take a peek at one-on-one drills and perhaps some of the other drills.

You can watch the show at 3 p.m. CT on the Chiefs’ official YouTube and Facebook pages. We’ll also have a post up on Chiefs Wire with an embed of the feed for your viewing pleasure.

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Justin Strnad’s adaptability will help him earn playing time with Broncos

Justin Strnad will likely see playing time as a rookie in passing situations.

Todd Davis is expected to serve as one of the Broncos’ starting inside linebackers this season but he probably won’t see much playing time in obvious passing downs. Last year, safety Will Parks served as one of Davis’ replacements on defense for passing situations.

This year, rookie linebacker Justin Strnad will be among the players competing for a rotational coverage job on defense.

“With Justin, you’re going to see the speed and explosion to the players that are in the coverage areas whether it be DBs or linebackers,” defensive coordinator Ed Donatell said on June 11. “He brings that coverage element and the adaptability to match up with some great offenses in our division.”

He’s listed as a linebacker on the roster but Strnad might play more like a coverage safety for Denver this season.

“I feel very comfortable in pass-coverage,” Strnad said on April 25. “I played safety in high school, so it’s something I’ve been doing for a long time.”

Strnad, who was selected by the Broncos in the fifth round of this year’s NFL draft, totaled 244 tackles, eight sacks, 10 pass breakups and four interceptions during his time at Wake Forest. He’ll look to make an immediate impact in Denver as a rotational linebacker in 2020.

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P.J. Williams’ stats in covering the slot versus lining up outside

The New Orleans Saints have to start P.J. Williams in place of injured cornerback Marshon Lattimore, but his NFL experience should help out.

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Marshon Lattimore may be the most important player on the New Orleans Saints defense, but they’ll be without him on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Lattimore injured his hamstring last week versus the Atlanta Falcons and missed practice throughout the week, with New Orleans ruling him out for their road game in Tampa. When Lattimore is playing at his best, there isn’t a receiver in football who can beat him — including Falcons superstar Julio Jones and Buccaneers big-play threat Mike Evans.

So the Saints have to adapt to life without him, at least temporarily. That means a change of responsibilities for starting slot corner P.J. Williams, who slides into Lattimore’s spot. While he’s definitely best suited to defending routes from the inside, Pro Football Focus charting over the last few years suggests Williams is hardly helpless when lined up outside.

When defending the slot in his last 24 games (including the playoffs), Williams has allowed 68 of 102 passes (66.7%) thrown into his coverage to be completed, gaining 810 yards (11.9 yards per catch). He’s forced 11 incomplete throws (11.8% of his total targets) in that time. That’s a passer rating allowed of 103.0.

The presence of Lattimore and the Saints’ other starting cornerback, Eli Apple, has limited Williams’ exposure outside of the slot. But during that same time frame he’s allowed 11 of 19 targets (57.9%) to be completed when playing out on the boundary, totaling 182 yards (16.5 yards per catch) with two forced incompletions (10.5%); all summed up in a 129.8 passer rating allowed.

So the numbers prove that, yes, Williams is better playing from the slot. That backs up what can be seen firsthand in his game tape. But they also that he’s unlikely to be a total liability, which we also saw last week when he stepped in against Atlanta. Williams was one of several defensive backs responsible for Jones’ big 54-yard grab-and-go, but he chipped in as part of a team effort to limit Jones to just three catches on nine targets in that game. He can play in this league.

What does this mean as far as Saints fans’ expectations for him against Tampa Bay, which boasts a strong one-two punch between Evans and Chris Godwin? The potential for big plays is there but Williams should give as good as he gets. He has the ability, and now the opportunity, to go out and help make a difference in an important NFC South game.

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