Patriots Training Camp Position Preview: Cornerback
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- The No. 1 story coming out of the Patriots' Super Bowl LII loss to the Eagles centered on the cornerback position. That story and the fallout that accompanied it, though, was of course related to which cornerback wasn't playing more than it was focused on which cornerbacks were playing.
In any event, the corner who didn't get on the field that night is gone, as Malcolm Butler signed a big-money free-agent deal with the Titans. Considering Butler was discovered by the Patriots out of West Alabama before he went on to win the team a Super Bowl and establish himself as a legitimate top-flight corner in the NFL, he did seem like the prototypical person to become a Patriot for life. But things don't always work out that way, and it's now officially a post-Butler era in New England.
That's not a surprising scenario, though. Once the team threw all sorts of money at Stephon Gilmore last offseason while dangling Butler as a restricted free agent, it became quite clear that the team would be moving on from Butler after 2017. So, how well did they prepare? Let's take a look.
(Virtual) Roster Locks
Stephon Gilmore
Jason McCourty
Eric Rowe
Duke Dawson
Jonathan Jones
On The Bubble
Cyrus Jones
Keion Crossen
J.C. Jackson
Everyone Else
Jomal Wiltz
Ryan Lewis
A.J. Moore
Barring something completely unexpected, the top three cornerback spots should be set. Gilmore will start on one side, Jason McCourty will start at the other, and Eric Rowe would presumably be the Pats' top slot corner. Jonathan Jones, in year three with the Patriots, should be next on the depth chart. In any event, his roster spot should be very secure, as he played over 41 percent of the team's defensive snaps last year as well as 64 percent of the team's special teams snaps.
Rookie Duke Dawson should be assumed to have a roster spot, on account of costing New England the 56th overall draft pick. He'll be in a relatively good spot, where not too much will be asked of him and he should be able to be brought along somewhat slowly.
Is is perhaps noteworthy that Jason McCourty didn't take any reps with the team during minicamp. The reason for that absence remains a mystery (he was a participant in the practice sessions, but spent the 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 portions on the sideline). While it would make zero sense for Bill Belichick to trade for a player at a position of need -- a player who is the identical twin of a team captain, no less -- only to trade him before the season began, one must keep open the 1 percent possibility that Belichick makes a shocking decision on a cornerback. He's done that before, you know.
After that, Cyrus Jones may be on his last chance to impress the Patriots. His rookie season was a mess, and he missed his entire second season. He has a few weeks this summer to shed the "bust" label after being drafted 60th overall in 2016. The Patriots do need a punt returner, so perhaps there is an opening there if Jones can overcome whatever ailed him in 2016.
From there, the competition should be pretty fun to watch. Seventh-round pick Keion Crossen is a potential Cinderella story waiting to happen, and he's got the physical tools to compete for an NFL job. Undrafted rookie J.C. Jackson was given starters' reps at OTAs, and handled himself well. Ryan Lewis was liked enough by the Patriots to earn a practice squad spot last year. Ditto for Jamal Wiltz. Perhaps there is one roster spot available to be won by the best of that group of five players, which should make for some extra attention being paid to them throughout camp.
You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.
