By Jordan Long
The Denver Broncos decided to cut cornerback A.J. Bouye. This creates around $11.689 million in cap space. Denver traded for Bouye on March 3rd, 2020 from Jacksonville for a 4th round pick, thinking he could replace Chris Harris who agreed to a contract with the L.A. Chargers.
Denver hoped Bouye would get back to playing like he did in 2017. He played in all 16 games that season, picking the ball off 6 times with 18 passes defended. Bouye also added 56 tackles. If he could play like that, Denver wouldn’t have to worry about pass coverage on Bouye’s side of the ball.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work out. Bouye appeared in 7 games, the second fewest in his career. He missed most of the year dealing with a dislocated shoulder. In those games, he wasn’t effective. It seemed anytime the quarterback passed to a receiver his way, it was caught even in tight coverage or the receiver would be behind Bouye for large chunks of yards. Bouye didn’t have an interception but had 6 passes defended with 23 tackles. It was clear he wasn’t a fit and Denver had to make this move.
The Broncos will now look for a cornerback either in free agency or the NFL draft. There are a few in free agency Denver should consider. Those are Ronald Darby or Patrick Peterson. Darby is the younger of the two at 27 years old. He has proven he can be one of the top cornerbacks on a team. Last year was his only season in Washington. He played in 16 games totaling 16 passes defended and 55 tackles. Even though Darby didn’t collect an interception, quarterbacks couldn’t throw it his way without the football being knocked away from the receiver. In his career, Darby has 8 interceptions.
Peterson is probably the biggest name in the position in free agency. He is one of the best cornerbacks in the game even though he is 30 years old. He played in the NFL for 10 years, all for Arizona. Last season he totaled 61 tackles with 3 interceptions and 8 passes defended. In his career, Peterson has 28 interceptions.
The problem with Peterson is the contract he may want. He was paid around $13.184 million. That would be a lot to take on for Denver. They may pass on him.
The easiest option for Denver is to draft one. They have the 9th pick in the first round. They could use that to select Caleb Farley or Patrick Surtain. Farley played for Virginia Tech the past two years. He had 56 tackles with one sack. Farley also picked the ball off 6 times with 19 passes defended.
Surtain went to the University of Alabama and played 3 years there. Surtain proved he could play. He totaled 4 interceptions and 24 passes defended. Those aren’t bad for a college cornerback.
Both Farley and Surtain make sense for Denver at #9. They would come at a cheaper price than Darby or Peterson because they would be on rookie contracts. The only problem with these athletes is they haven’t played in the NFL and who knows how they will adjust to the game.
The Denver Broncos have many options to improve the cornerback position. General Manager George Paton will do what he feels is best to fill the void on defense.
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