Tag: Secondary

Broncos select CB Kristian Fulton in Touchdown Wire’s new mock draft

In this new 2020 NFL mock draft, the Broncos select LSU cornerback Kristian Fulton in the first round.

In his latest 2020 NFL mock draft for Touchdown Wire, Mark Schofield has the Denver Broncos selecting LSU cornerback Kristian Fulton with the 15th overall pick in the first round.

In Touchdown Wire’s mock, top wide receivers CeeDee Lamb (No. 11; New York Jets), Jerry Jeudy (No. 12; Las Vegas Raiders) and Henry Ruggs (No. 13; San Francisco 49ers) are all selected before Denver goes on the clock.

Here is part of Schofield’s commentary with the Broncos’ pick:

The Broncos lost Chris Harris Jr. in free agency to the Los Angeles Chargers, and even though they acquired A.J. Bouye from the Jacksonville Jaguars, cornerback is another area they could address at this spot. With Jeff Okudah off the board, they turn to Kristian Fulton, the talented cornerback from the defending national champions.

Fulton (6-0, 197 pounds) is the second-best cornerback in this year’s class behind Okudah, according to Draft Wire’s post-combine rankings. Denver has already scheduled a pre-draft conference call with Fulton.

To read Touchdown Wire’s complete first-round mock draft, click here.

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CB Quinton Dunbar wanted to come to Seattle when forcing a trade

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar said that the Emerald City was his intended destination when forcing a trade from Washington.

The Seattle Seahawks recently snagged cornerback Quinton Dunbar from the Washington Redskins via trade, and Dunbar seems fairly enthusiastic about the turn of events.

“I was kind of surprised at first, but it’s a great situation for me, so I’m glad to be here,” Dunbar told 710 ESPN Seattle’s Danny and Gallant show. “I feel like I’m right with those guys in my mentality and I just want to come in and play ball and help the team any way I can.”

Dunbar followed the famed Legion of Boom secondary when he was in college and has watched an abundance of film on them to improve himself as a player.

“Man, I know everything about them. I grew up, I was still in college watching those guys,” Dunbar said. “I wasn’t a DB at the time, but the Legion of Boom, watching Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman, who, when I made that transition, I watched a lot of film on Richard Sherman and things of that nature. I know they’ve got great history there and I’m just looking forward to being part of that secondary and helping out all I can.”

Dunbar requested a trade out of Washington for a fresh start, and the Seahawks were the beneficiary as the team only had to deal the Redskins a fifth-round pick to acquire his services.

“Before the trade was (finished) I had opportunities with a couple of teams but I wanted to go to Seattle,” Dunbar said. “At the end of the day, I feel like it’s a perfect situation for me to go play for a team that competes for championships every year. I’m just looking forward to that and everything will take care of itself. I just wanted a new beginning, and I’m just going to go out there and help Seattle whichever way I can.”

Seattle’s secondary could certainly use some help, and Seahawks fans should hope that Dunbar can be a big factor in improving it.

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Quinton Dunbar’s arrival could present challenge for Tre Flowers

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Tre Flowers faces a challenge in 2020 with the arrival of Quinton Dunbar, and the former must improve quickly.

The Seattle Seahawks traded a fifth-round draft pick to the Washington Redskins in exchange for cornerback Quinton Dunbar and this could set up a position battle with fellow CB Tre Flowers.

In 2019, Dunbar had the second-best grade among cornerbacks from Pro Football Focus (87.6) and is only 27 years old and could be in the prime of his career. He may be entering the final year of his contract, but Seattle could certainly use his services for the 2020 season, as general manager John Schneider has stressed about improving the secondary.

Flowers has had an up-and-down career in his two years in the NFL and must improve drastically to have a good chance of being on the roster beyond the next two seasons. If Flowers feels the pressure to contribute, he could either feel extra motivation to improve or wilt under the expectations. The 2020 season is do-or-die for him and Dunbar only adds to the pressure.

This is not to say that Dunbar is guaranteed to perform better than Flowers next season, but the former has more experience and a better track record. Flowers is also coming off a less-than-stellar postseason in which he gave up numerous big plays, particularly in the divisional round against the Packers.

No matter how Dunbar performs for the Seahawks, 2020 will be a big year for Flowers and he must rise to the challenge.

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Seahawks’ trade for CB Quinton Dunbar from Washington now official

The Seattle Seahawks have officially announced the trade for former Washington Redskins cornerback Quinton Dunbar for a fifth-round pick.

The Seattle Seahawks pulled off an impressive trade this week, acquiring cornerback Quinton Dunbar from the Washington Redskins for a fifth-round pick in April’s NFL draft.

Dunbar entered the league in 2015 as an undrafted, free-agent wide receiver out of Florida but was quickly converted to cornerback during training camp of his rookie season and ended up earning the starting nod in 2018.

For Washington last year, Dunbar started 11 games before he landed on the injured reserve with a hamstring injury. He logged four interceptions, eight passes defended and 37 tackles in 2019.

Dunbar has one year left on his current contract – a $3.25 million base salary with $250,000 in per-game roster bonuses.

Seattle has made it clear beefing up all aspects of the defense will be a focus this offseason and adding a proven starter to the competition in the secondary is a step in the right direction.

After the trade, the Seahawks have no selection in the fifth round of the NFL draft but have seven total picks remaining.

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Ex-Broncos safety Will Parks agrees to 1-year deal with Eagles

Former Broncos safety Will Parks is signing a one-year deal with the Eagles.

Former Denver Broncos safety Will Parks has agreed to a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, according to NFL Network’s James Palmer.

Parks (6-1, 208 pounds) was selected by the Broncos in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL draft out of Arizona. He served as a rotational defensive back and special teams contributor as a rookie, totaling 22 tackles and one interception.

Parks has served as a fill-in starter over the last three years, earning 15 starts since 2017. Parks is a versatile player who was able to fill in at safety, dime backer and even at cornerback when Denver needed him to step up. He will likely get an opportunity to start in Philly.

The Broncos are spending a lot on three of their starting defensive backs and though the team likes Parks, they likely couldn’t afford to re-sign him. In 2020, Kareem Jackson will have a salary cap hit of $14 million, A.J. Bouye will have a hit over $13.4 million and Justin Simmons has received a franchise tag worth $11.441 million.

Parks, 25, has totaled 149 tackles and four interceptions since 2016.

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Report: Broncos targeting CB Kevin Johnson

The Broncos are interested in Bills free agent cornerback Kevin Johnson.

The Denver Broncos are targeting slot cornerbacks in NFL free agency, according to a report from KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. Buffalo Bills defensive back Kevin Johnson is among the cornerbacks the Broncos are considering.

Johnson (6-0, 185 pounds) entered the league as a first-round pick out of Wake Forest with the Houston Texans in 2015. He battled through several injuries during his time in Houston and missed 29 games from 2015-2018.

After being released by the Texans last March, Johnson signed a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills. He managed to stay healthy for all 16 games last season and totaled 36 tackles and one sack. He also broke up five passes.

If he signs with Denver, Johnson would be reunited with cornerback A.J. Bouye, who played with him in Houston from 2015-2016.

The Broncos showing interest in slot cornerbacks might be a sign that Denver believes Bryce Callahan could play as an outside CB in Vic Fangio’s secondary. Assuming the Broncos will not re-sign Chris Harris, Bouye and Callahan are currently projected to be the team’s top CBs in 2020.

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What will Bradley Roby bring back to the Texans’ cornerback unit?

Houston Texans cornerback Bradley Roby is returning on a three-year contract. What will he give back to the secondary?

With the re-signing of Bradley Roby, the Houston Texans will get consistency among their cornerback group.

So says Doug Farrar of the Touchdown Wire. Even though the former Denver Broncos 2014 first-round pick played in 10 games for the Texans in 2019, limited mostly to a hamstring injury sustained in Week 6, Roby demonstrated a playmaking ability that new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver will need as he takes over for Romeo Crennel.

This 27-yard pick-six of Jameis Winston in Week 16 is an excellent example of what Roby does well. He’s aligned against receiver Justin Watson at the top of the screen, and watch how he jumps Watson’s route to take the ball away. You could argue that Winston should have read that, but Roby did a nice job of breaking late, and it’s not as if Winston is ever cautious about throws like that.

A first-round pick of the Broncos in the 2014 draft out of Ohio State, Roby has allowed 297 receptions in 492 targets with a 60.4% catch rate for 3,635 yards, 25 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 91.6 in his NFL career.

Roby signed a three-year contract worth $36 million on Sunday. Bringing back the former Ohio State Buckeye gives the Texans stability as he is the only starting cornerback to return now that two-time Pro Bowler Johnathan Joseph will hit free agency on March 18.

Texans re-sign cornerback Bradley Roby to 3-year contract

The Houston Texans have re-signed cornerback Bradley Roby to a three-year contract.

The Houston Texans will have some continuity with their starting cornerback group after all.

According to James Palmer, Mike Garafolo, and Ian Rapoport, the Texans are signing Bradley Roby to a three-year contract worth $36 million.

Roby played in 10 games for the Texans in 2019, starting in all of them. The former Denver Broncos 2014 first-round picked collected 38 tackles, 1.0 sack, two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, eight pass breakups, and a forced fumble in the fewest games of Roby’s career. The 5-11, 194-pound cornerback was limited with a hamstring injury, but apparently that is not enough of a concern for the Texans to bring back the former Ohio State Buckeye, who will be 28 years old come Week 1.

“I think that Bradley, he’s got a lot of talent, right,” coach Bill O’Brien said on Dec. 4, 2019. “He’s got good speed, good feet, good ball skills. The big thing with Bradley has been health. Just making sure that he can be available to the team, that’s the big thing. If he stays available to the team, he’s healthy, then he can help us.”

If Roby is healthy beyond 10 games for the Texans in 2020, he will certainly help them in their secondary, which will be new-look now that two-time Pro Bowler Johnathan Joseph is set to hit free agency.

Texans re-sign cornerback Phillip Gaines to a 1-year contract

The Houston Texans have re-signed cornerback Phillip Gaines to a one-year contract.

The Houston Texans have decided to keep at least one of their free agent cornerbacks.

On Saturday, the Texans reached an agreement to bring back cornerback Phillip Gaines on a one-year contract, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.

Gaines didn’t play in many games for the Texans in 2019, just six total and starting in two of them. However, in the biggest game of the season at that point, Week 6 at the Kansas City Chiefs, the former 2014 third-round pick from Rice collected three tackles and tipped away a pass. In Week 7 at the Indianapolis Colts, his final game of the season before sustaining a left ankle injury that ended his season.

What the Texans like about Gaines may have been seen in glimpses, but Houston believes they can get the whole package in 2020.

“He’s a guy that can play inside and outside, a guy that’s had production in the league,” coach Bill O’Brien said on Sept. 11, 2020. “He’s played for a while, smart guy, good movement skills and a versatile skillset. We’ll see how it goes this week, but I think he has a chance to help us.”

Cornerback Johnathan Joseph and the Texans mutually decided the two-time Pro Bowler would enter free agency on March 18. Houston’s other starting cornerback from last year, Bradley Roby, is also set to become a free agent.

Texans and CB Johnathan Joseph mutually decide to part ways

The Houston Texans and cornerback Johnathan Joseph have mutually decided that the two-time Pro Bowler will enter free agency on March 18.

The Houston Texans and Pro Bowl cornerback Johnathan Joseph have mutually decided that the 36-year-old will enter free agency when the new league year begins on March 18 at 3:00 p.m. Central Time.

The team released a statement thanking Joseph for his professionalism and also his leadership since coming over as a free agent from the Cincinnati Bengals in 2011.

“Johnathan has been a consummate professional, team captain and one of the leaders of our defense for the past nine years. It is rare for a player to sustain such a high level of play for over a decade and that says so much about him and his dedication to the game. He is an exceptional teammate, mentor, husband and father. His impact on and off the field makes him quite possibly the most celebrated free agent signing in franchise history. The entire Houston Texans organization thanks Johnathan for the contributions he made to our team and the Houston community. We wish him and his family all the best as he pursues free agency.”

Joseph will leave the Texans as the franchise’s all-time leader with 17 interceptions, 118 pass breakups, 410 interception yards, and four interceptions returned for touchdowns. Joseph will also leave Houston tied for the third-most games played for the Texans with 133 and fifth in total tackles with 482.

The former South Carolina Gamecock seeks to extend some of his NFL career marks in his 15th season in 2020, but with a new team. Joseph is sixth in career pass breakups with 194 and has the most games in NFL history with multiple pass breakups with 50.

The other starting cornerback for the Texans in 2019 was Bradley Roby, who was limited to 10 games with a hamstring injury. If the Texans also decide to let Roby walk, then they will have two completely new cornerbacks starting on the outside in 2020.