Tre Boston, S, Carolina Panthers
One of the biggest personnel mysteries in the NFL today is how Boston has moved from the Panthers to the Chargers to the Cardinals and back to the Panthers on a series of one-year deals when he’s consistently proven to be one of the NFL’s most effective deep third safeties. Boston has no known personal dings, and he’s been remarkably consistent as a player in the toughest possible situation, moving from scheme to scheme year to year. He’s never allowed an opponent passer rating above 76.3, he has 13 interceptions to six touchdowns allowed over the last four seasons, and he has given up just 41 catches on 85 targets over that four-year stretch.
We’ve already discussed Ryan Tannehill’s great 2019 season; here’s one instance where Boston used his veteran acumen to fool Tannehill into an interception when the Panthers and Titans faced off in a Week 9 matchup Carolina won, 30-20.
Tannehill thinks he can fit this throw in to receiver Kalif Raymond past cornerback Ross Cockrell, and clearly he thinks Boston is going to stay high. But Boston does a brilliant job of timing and jumping the route. Tannehill may have thought this was a standard two-deep look because of the static safeties through his drop, but Boston played this more as a Quarters (Cover-4) responsibility by keying on the slot receiver’s release and driving down. Boston just delayed it to great effect. Tannehill also may have expected Raymond to play this more as an in-cut across Boston’s face.
The more you watch Boston play, the more the league’s inability to lock him down to a multi-year deal makes little sense. Perhaps this is the offseason for that to change.