OTAs An Opportunity For Patriots CBs To Earn Reps
 Logan Ryan will be looking to regain his 2013 form and earn a starting job for the Patriots this season. (USA TODAY Images) |
With competition wide open, the time is ripe for players to make a push for reps
Much of the talk this spring and rightfully so about the 2015 version of the New England Patriots is, who will be the starting cornerbacks once the season starts.
Gone are starters Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner and Kyle Arrington. Also cut loose was part-time starter Alfonzo Dennard who was injured for much of 2014. So the team is beginning with a clean slate and plenty of lamenting from the fan base who are justifiably nervous about how the secondary will fare in 2015.
If the season started today, the starters would probably be Malcolm Butler and Bradley Fletcher but Butler out last week from OTAs, other corners got some valuable reps as they jockey for positions wide open for competition. Here’s a look at three other corners who will be in the mix for reps.
Logan Ryan was the biggest recipient of increased workload as the 3rd year corner from Rutgers is looking to make the leap into the starting lineup. Ryan had an outstanding rookie season in 2013, followed by what can best be described as an up-and-down 2014.
According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Ryan was targeted 56 times last year and allowed 33 catches for 471 yards and a touchdown, while intercepting two. He allowed a completion percentage of 58.9 percent, second worst to Dennard on the team.
He did finish strong in the post-season even though opponents, trying to avoid Revis and Browner targeted him more than anyone but completed only 6 of 14 passes, this time second best only to Butler.
Ryan worked out in Arizona during the off-season to study film and prep for the upcoming season by working out with some of the other Patriots secondary members. He’ll be trying to break an alarming trend of Patriots secondary players who play very well as rookies and begin a downhill spiral that sees their game slide rather than improve in subsequent years.
 Daxton Swanson had a strong spring in 2014 and will look to parlay that into a strong 2015 and earn a roster spot. (SBalestrieri Images) |
Daxton Swanson was also in the news as getting a lot of work in the early going of OTAs. The UDFA from Sam Houston State is entering his third season as a pro and his second with New England.
Swanson had an excellent spring last season and was one of the standouts of OTAs and mini-camp. Russ Goldman and I spoke on the field with Mike Reiss after last June’s mini-camp and we all thought Swanson was one of the better players in attendance.
He was set back early in training camp when he missed some time due to the death of his father but performed well enough to land a spot on the Patriots practice squad in 2014.
Now the 5’11, 191 Swanson will be trying to make the leap to not only make the 53-man roster but translate it into some playing time in 2015.
Darryl Roberts, the rookie 7th round draft pick from the Marshall Thundering Herd has tons of upside, being one of the most athletically gifted corners in the draft. Although he wasn’t invited to the NFL combine, at his Pro-Day he turned in a blistering 4.38 time in the 40 which would have been second best among all cornerbacks had he made the trip to Indy.
Roberts also posted a 6.66 in the Three-Cone Drill, a 39 inch Vertical Leap, a Broad Jump of 11’1, and 23 reps of 225 on the bench press. The 6’0, 187 pound corner had five career picks and 35 passes defensed for the Herd.
Roberts is my sleeper pick to play some significant snaps in 2015. A core special teams player, he’s a guy who can play physical at the line in press or play off coverage in zone. He has the things every defensive coordinator looks for in a corner, speed, length, the ability to change directions quickly and he’s physical.
He likes to pop opposing receivers at the line and has a strong, quick jab to get inside and stay there. He can get a little grabby downfield, but with good coaching; he could become a very good corner at the NFL level. He’s a guy to watch in July.
Jimmy Jean came from the now defunct program at UAB and has good size at 6’2, 201. He’s versatile and played both corner and safety in college. While sliding over to safety may be in the cards for the UDFA, thus far he’s reportedly lining up at corner.
He’s got the size and physicality to play press corner with his long arms he’s able to disrupt and re-route opponents at the line although he doesn’t have the top end speed to run with receivers downfield.
Jean is very tough and very aggressive and it will bear watching if the Patriots leave him at corner or move him into the safety position that has gotten crowded recently.
With the competition open and the players on the field, it will be interesting to watch who steps to the forefront of this season’s spring and summer workouts. With no Revis and Browner waiting to start, the opportunities are there for players to make the most of their opportunities. Last spring, no one had heard of Malcolm Butler and he was given little chance to make the roster. So the younger guys regardless of their draft position, should take notice.
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