Starters: Byron Jones, Chidobe Awusie
Contenders: Anthony Brown, Jourdan Lewis, Michael Jackson, C.J. Goodwin. Treston DeCoud, Donovan Olumba, Chris Westry
I believe Kris Richard is getting a bad rap for not playing Jourdan Lewis more last year (with the decision essentially being blamed on Richard's preference for longer corners). If you look back to last preseason, Lewis was not playing very well. Perhaps he was just having trouble adjusting to the technique that Richard teaches, but it was easy to see then why Lewis didn't deserve a bigger role. However, Lewis stepped up during the season and showed that he deserves a chance for more opportunities. He plays sticky coverage and is aggressive both in attacking the ball carrier and the receiver.. Frankly, I'm not sure he isn't our second-best corner.
Although Anthony Brown ended up getting the nickel corner job over Lewis, he really wasn't that good in the preseason, either. Brown reminds me a lot of past corners we've had like Alan Ball and Jacques Reeves who were good in reserve roles because they could stick with receivers but get beat by quarterbacks with good ball placement. Chidobe Awusie seems to fall into that category as well. They are there, they have good coverage, but they don't bat the ball away enough. Brown and Awusie both do it some (and Brown as a rookie was a better starter than either Ball or Reeves), but they need to make their tight coverage pay off more often.
The player who took to Richard's technique the best and benefited the most from it was Byron Jones. For most of the season, Jones was in his receiver's hip pocket and used his length to break up passes. He was about as close to a shut-down corner as we've had in a long time. The only knock against him is he doesn't make interceptions. He also slipped some later in the year, but I think it was due to playing through injury.
Richard's preference for players with length can be seen in Donovan Olumba (6-2) being kept on the practice squad last year, Michael Jackson (6-1) being drafted and Chris Westry (6-4) being a priority UDFA. Treston Decoud is also 6-2 while C.J. Goodwin is 6-3. This is a good group of his type of players, and if a couple of them step up, they could make Lewis and/or Brown expendable, depending on which one of them takes the nickel role.
ROSTER PREDICTION: Since I kept five safeties, I'm also keeping five cornerbacks to give us 10 total defensive backs. Unlike last year, though, I think the fifth spot will be fully deserved by whoever wins it. I like our top four (Jones, Awusie, Lewis, Brown) and don't think they should be messed with this year outside of vying for playing time. That leaves one spot, which I think will go to Jackson in a tight race because the technique and style of play Richard uses keeps players like him from having to chase quick-cutting receivers all over the field. However, I'm not entirely out on the two "veterans" (Decoud and Goodwin). Olumba and Westry go on the practice squad. Again, it won't surprise me if one of the last four gets kept and we trade Lewis or Brown if someone just shows too much to be cut.
