Tag: Secondary

Pete Carroll consults Richard Sherman for input about young Seahawks secondary

Sherman knows a thing or two about elite secondary play, so his insight should prove valuable.

The Seattle Seahawks have a young secondary with numerous rookies in the fold who may be promising pieces for the near future and could be expected to make an impact early on in the 2022 season. Head coach Pete Carroll has been consulting with a very familiar face regarding the young defensive backs.

Former Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman attended the team’s mock game at Lumen Field on Saturday to observe them in action.

“I think Sherm is just curious. I think he’s just trying to keep up with it. It was really good to see him.” Carroll said.

The twelfth-year Seahawks head coach revealed that he plans to meet with Sherman again this week, presumably to discuss the current state of the secondary, their potential, and room for improvement.

“I’ll talk with him again this week,” Carroll said. “He got to watch our guys, and we have some stuff to talk about.”

Safeties Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs are in the prime of their respective careers, but rookie cornerbacks Coby Bryant and Tariq Woolen will be the ones to watch in the coming weeks.

Sherman knows a thing or two about elite secondary play, so his insight should prove valuable. Hopefully, it will help Carroll and the defensive coaching staff understand what they need to do to bring these particular young guns along.

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Saints training camp notebook Aug. 6-9: Backup QBs execute, secondary shines

Saints training camp notebook Aug. 6-9: Backup QBs execute and the secondary shines, via @MaddyHudak_94:

New Orleans Saints training camp rolled into Day 12 with an impressively consistent indoor practice headlined by quarterbacks Andy Dalton and Ian Book. With Jameis Winston sidelined with a sprained right foot, per head coach Dennis Allen, it was an early look at the presumed offense for the first preseason game against the Houston Texans on Saturday. Here’s what we learned:

 

Saints training camp notebook Aug. 4-5: Michael Thomas returns with a vengeance

Saints training camp notebook Aug. 4-5: Michael Thomas returns with a vengeance, via @MaddyHudak_94:

New Orleans Saints training camp entered Day 9 with a group of roaring fans from the stands – much deserved by several standouts. There’s an air of excitement that comes with packed bleachers, particularly when the offense is winning the day. Today’s practice with Michael Thomas returning for team drills saw fans remain energetic through a brief torrential downpour. As are summers in New Orleans.

While last year’s training camp hyper-focused on the competition under center, I found myself frankly forgetting to watch who was taking reps. It felt nice. A sense of normalcy returned with stability at quarterback; Jameis Winston is still finding a rhythm, but his command of the offense is palpable. Today, his tempo in the passing game was quicker, his short throws to Alvin Kamara in the flat had touch, and his rhythm and accuracy improved from one day prior. Among individual observations, team trends are equally starting to emerge through training camp.

Adrian Amos hosts Packers secondary to week of workouts in Baltimore

The ascending Packers secondary got a week’s worth of workouts in together in Baltimore, the hometown of Adrian Amos.

Green Bay Packers safety Adrian Amos recently invited the team’s secondary for a week of workouts in his hometown of Baltimore, according to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports. Darnell Savage, a Maryland native, was among the attendees.

Amos’ football camp was held on July 9 in Baltimore.

Amos, a free-agent signing of the Packers in 2019, has emerged as the leader of the Packers’ ascending secondary. The pieces are all in place: All-Pro Jaire Alexander is returning from injury, Rasul Douglas re-signed on a three-year deal, Eric Stokes is going into Year 2 after a terrific rookie season and Savage returns for his fourth season starting next to Amos, one of the most reliable and consistent defensive backs in football.

Adding more chemistry to the mix could help tie everything together entering the 2022 season.

“We love to be around each other,” Amos said during minicamp last month.

With some injury luck and the right development among the group, the Packers secondary will likely be among the NFL’s best.

“We’re definitely excited about it,” Amos said. “Everything comes down to how we execute when the season comes. On paper, and knowing each other, we can definitely be special, but we have to take that day by day. Execute all the time. Be consistent.”

The growing camaraderie among the secondary can’t hurt.

The Packers veterans report to training camp on Tuesday, July 26. The first camp practice is Wednesday, July 27.

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Chiefs cornerbacks, safeties ranked in top half of NFL by PFF

Is PFF too optimistic about the #Chiefs’ secondary?

Pro Football Focus is higher on the Kansas City Chiefs secondary heading into the 2022 NFL season than one might expect.

PFF recently ranked every defensive secondary in the NFL, while also assigning them to five different tiers. Not only did the Chiefs’ secondary place No. 14 among all 32 NFL teams, but they also landed in the second tier which is titled, “Minor Question Marks.”

PFF sees the Chiefs’ starting secondary as L’Jarius Sneed and Rashad Fenton at outside corner, first-round draft pick Trent McDuffie at nickel and Juan Thornhill and Justin Reid as the starters at safety. Here is what Renner had to say about the No. 14 ranking for Kansas City:

“While he’s been overshadowed by bigger names on the Chiefs’ roster, L’Jarius Sneed deserves some credit for his play since entering the NFL He’s had arguably the best start to his career of any cornerback from the 2020 draft class. While being asked to move between outside and slot cornerback, depending on where he’s needed, he’s been excellent through two seasons. He made the second-most defensive stops of any cornerback in the league last year.”

Sneed is definitely a player poised to have a big season in 2022. He burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2020, but without Charvarius Ward this season it feels like he’ll be asked to cover No. 1 receivers on a more frequent basis.

As for McDuffie, I don’t think penciling him in at nickel is necessarily the correct choice. He has played some snaps there during the offseason program and he is learning both positions. As Renner mentioned though, Sneed has played slot corner in the past and we could see him shift between those roles again in 2022.

Fenton, who has graded out very well in the analytics world, hasn’t been on the field at all during the offseason program due to a shoulder injury that required surgery.

Thornhill and Reid seem spot-on for now, but I’d be remiss to point out that Daniel Sorensen beat out Thornhill for a starting job in each of the past two seasons. That didn’t last, but it’s also something worth monitoring when training camp resumes. Thornhill says he’s aiming to have an All-Pro season in 2022.

What sticks out most here is that the Chiefs have a lot of young and unproven pieces in the secondary. Even the veteran players like Sneed and Fenton feel like they have bigger question marks than PFF admits.

Some young players in the secondary weren’t even mentioned at all, but they could end up making an impact as well. Third-round pick Bryan Cook and fourth-round pick Joshua Williams, for instance. Both players had really strong performances so far this offseason and could push for playing time if it continues through training camp.

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Seahawks rookie cornerback Coby Bryant has real shot to start this year

Seattle Seahawks rookie cornerback Coby Bryant has a legitimate chance to compete for a starting role in the defense for the 2022 season.

In the Seattle Seahawks’ quest to rebuild the Legion of Boom, finding the perfect fits at the cornerback spots has been difficult, to say the least. Seattle did pick up two corners in this year’s NFL draft and one seems to have a real chance at starting this season.

Coby Bryant, selected in the fourth round at No. 109 overall, made NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter’s list of the top day-three rookies who could compete for starting snaps in their first year.

“Seattle’s depth at cornerback is a big question mark heading into the 2022 season,” Reuter acknowledges. “Sidney Jones was re-signed after starting 11 games, while Tre Brown is coming off a knee injury and veteran Artie Burns was brought in on a one-year free agent deal. Bryant, the winner of the 2021 Jim Thorpe Award (given to college football’s top defensive back), has the experience and toughness to step into a starting role if necessary.”

With OTAs kicking off and mandatory minicamp just around the corner, we should get a better look at how Bryant stacks up against the veterans in short order.

Cornerback will be one of the most exciting positions to watch throughout training camp this summer so stay tuned to see how things play out at the VMAC.

For Bryant’s college highlights, click here.

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Packers secondary is versatile and full of stars for the slot

The Packers don’t have an obvious slot cornerback, but assistant coach Jerry Gray is confident he has numerous options.

The Green Bay Packers could have one of the most versatile secondaries in the NFL next season. It’s allowed defensive coordinator Jerry Gray to play with different lineups in the classroom this offseason.

“Guys learn more than one position,” Gray told reporters on Wednesday.

The Packers have plenty of guys they know that can play outside, but they have a crucial opening to fill at their slot or “star” position. That spot previously belonged to Chandon Sullivan, who was allowed to walk in free agency and sign with the Minnesota Vikings.

Over the last three seasons, Sullivan has played 1,331 snaps in the slot, according to Pro Football Focus. In 2021, Sullivan lined up a career-high 665 times inside and finished with a new personal best of three interceptions. However, Gray isn’t concerned about who will take Sullivan’s place.

“We got a lot of good guys that can play in the slot,” he said while specifically naming Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes, Rasul Douglas, and Darnell Savage. “That’s the best part. We don’t have just one guy.”

It could be a collective effort, but don’t be surprised if Alexander ends up doing more than he was asked to do in previous years for Green Bay’s defense. The pressure to perform will be even higher after signing a deal that made him the highest-paid player at his position in league history.

“With Ja, he’s going to go where some of the receivers are going to go and he’s going to follow those guys in different packages. He can do everything,” GM Brian Gutekunst said in March. “That’s a nice luxury for us to have.”

Alexander has grown into one of the best outside corners in the league, but he may be the guy lining up inside the most next season if the team wants to keep their top three corners on the field at the same time. Between him, Stokes, and Douglas, he is the smallest and the most versatile.

Stokes could also play the slot after a successful rookie season in which he was relied upon for 16 games, including 14 starts. Stokes is one of the fastest players on the team with 4.2 speed and might have to follow the fastest receiver on the field if they line up inside. Douglas earned a three-year, $21 million extension following a Cinderella season that resulted in five interceptions and two defensive touchdowns despite coming on as a mid-season signing. Douglas also has experience in the slot and plays with a physical demeanor defensive coordinator Joe Barry looks for in his “star” position.

Savage was the last guy Gray mentioned, and despite some consistency issues, the hope is that he can still live up to his first-round selection from a few years ago. Savage has been used interchangeably with fellow safety Adrian Amos at different spots all over the field. Savage proved to be reliable in the slot last season, logging 152 snaps. He will continue to get looks there, according to Gray. 

Naturally, Gray will keep his options open in the secondary, which is a nice luxury if you are Green Bay and possess multiple guys capable of doing so many different things.

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SKOL Search: Is Andrew Booth Jr. the steal of the draft?

Booth Jr. is a second-round draft pick with first-round talent.

This pick was great from the get-go.

The Minnesota Vikings went into the draft needing a cornerback and passing on one with both the No. 12 and No. 32 picks—long before the trade down from No. 34 made Booth Jr. feel like a pipe dream. Luckily for the Vikings, there was an opportunity to trade up for the star cornerback from Clemson.

A consensus five-star cornerback ranked as the eighth overall player by Rivals, Booth Jr. came in with a high pedigree and thrived when given an opportunity as a sophomore. He played 979 snaps over his three seasons, per Pro Football Focus, and helped the Tigers defense play at an extremely high level.

All things considered, Booth Jr. is arguably the steal of the draft. He has three main attributes that will get Vikings fans excited.

Pat Surtain expects ‘very exciting year’ for Broncos’ secondary

“It should be a very exciting year — the defense is going to fly around and make big-time plays,” Pat Surtain said.

The Denver Broncos may have a second iteration of the No Fly Zone bubbling.

In 2015 with Peyton Manning at quarterback, the team’s defense, specifically the secondary, led the way during the team’s Super Bowl run. The likes of Aqib Talib, Chris Harris, T.J. Ward, Bradley Roby, and Darian Stewart live on in Broncos Country’s heart forever.

Fast forward to 2022, and it appears second-year general manager George Paton’s taking a page out of his predecessor’s playbook. Instead of force-picking a QB during last year’s NFL draft, Paton drafted Patrick Surtain. Before the draft, Paton signed Ronald Darby and Kyle Fuller in free agency, in addition to re-signing Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson.

While Fuller’s deal is up, entering next season, the Broncos’ secondary remains stacked. Simmons and Jackson mesh well together on the backend of the defense, while Surtain and Darby are en elite 1-2 cornerback duo in a passing league. Then, K’Waun Williams is a sturdy nickel corner, and presumably a one-for-one replacement for the departing Bryce Callahan.

Surtain’s ready to put this theory into action.

“We have a lot of potential,” Surtain said last week. “We obviously added new key additions in the secondary and on the defense. It should be a very exciting year — the defense is going to fly around and make big-time plays. I’m very excited for the upcoming season.”

Another thing going for the defensive unit is the carryover from Vic Fangio’s defense to newly-hired Ejiro Evero’s. The latter is a part of the former’s coaching tree. That should help Surtain and Co. build on their promising 2021 campaign.

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Report Card: Grading Nebraska’ Defense

A deep dive into the Nebraska Cornhusker’s defense during their annual spring game on Saturday.

Another Nebraska Spring Game has come and gone. This year’s edition saw the defense defeat the offense 43-39 in a modified game format. All spring camp questions remained the same for the Nebraska defense, “who will replace the production of Cam Taylor-Britt and Jojo Domann?” Defensive end Garrett Wilson raised his hand and answered the call on Saturday but more on that later. Last year’s unit was better from a statistical perspective than what you would expect from a 3-9 team. Erik Chinander’s defenses have been some of the few bright spots in the Scott Frost era, and he’s hoping to recreate some of that magic in 2022.