7. Mackensie Alexander, Cincinnati Bengals
To put it mildly, Minnesota’s cornerback situation in 2019 was a disaster. Outside cornerbacks Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes combined to allow 10 touchdowns to just one interception, and both are off the Vikings’ roster now. The Colts are taking a flyer on Rhodes, and the Bengals signed Waynes. Cincinnati also picked up Alexander on a one-year, $4 million contract, which could prove to be the best of the bunch. Last season, it was Alexander’s job to be the man in the middle, mitigating the preposterous difference between Minnesota’s transcendent safety play (courtesy of Harrison Smith and the criminally underrated Anthony Harris), and the aforementioned cornerback schisms.
Alexander did this well enough, playing slot on 468 of his 562 coverage snaps and allowing 40 receptions on 57 targets for 364 yards, 130 yards after the catch, one touchdown, one interception, and an opponent passer rating of 85.7. An above-average technician capable of mirroring and matching routes and working to deflect at the right time, Alexander could be a serious contributor to Cincinnati’s defense if defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo can do a better job of matching scheme to personnel.