Secondary help!

[Wesson44]

Since we can't stop the pass here is a list of all the free agents at CB,FS and SS. Who could we get to make this team better?

 

Top Cornerbacks:

 

Leigh Bodden, New England Patriots (28)

Bodden has rebounded well from his last year’s poor performance on the Lions. He’s picked off 5 passes on the year and deflected 18 others. Other than 2 or 3 below average games, Bodden has played at a high enough level to help a thin Patriots secondary. After taking the one-year tryout deal with the Patriots last year, he’ll expect a long-term offer in line with that of a good starting cornerback. With rookie Darius Butler coming into his own and little else, the Patriots should re-sign Bodden to a multi-year deal to bring some continuity to the unit.

 

Dunta Robinson, Houston Texans (28)

After holding out for nearly the entire offseason, Dunta Robinson stepped in and played pretty poorly, allowing a number of intermediate catches against him. Robinson played slightly better in the second half of the season, but not in line with a top corner. With an entire offseason of workouts, Robinson can return to form and be one of the better corners in the league, but it’ll be interesting to see how the situation plays out next offseason after an up and down season this year. The Texans may not be ready to commit a lot money after this season, which could lead Dunta to test the open market. I’d be surprised if they used the franchise tag on him again this year after what they went through last season.

 

 

Carlos Rogers, Washington Redskins (29) – Restricted FA (UFA-CBA)

Though he’s had a couple poor games, Rogers has strung together a very nice season this year. He’s been targeted only 61 times this year, which is a distant second only to Nnamdi Asomugha among corners who have played at least 75% of their team’s snaps. Rogers is a pretty good cover corner, but finished the season in the team’s doghouse. He does a nice job of contesting passes and is rarely caught completely out of position. DeAngelo Hall on the other side arguably had a better season this year, but Rogers was not very far behind. With Brian Orakpo and Andre Carter able to turn loose and increase the pressure on the quarterback, Rogers should be able to become a little more aggressive to force turnovers, something he did not do at all this season. It’s tough to say what Washington thinks of Rogers and whether they’d be willing to match his asking price on a long-term extension. He’ll most likely be given a Restricted FA offer.

 

Richard Marshall, Carolina Panthers (25) – Restricted FA (UFA-CBA)

Marshall has put up gaudy tackling numbers in his first three seasons, averaging over 80 per season. Starting opposite Chris Gamble, Marshall has actually played very well this season. He hasn’t given up many big plays and come up with a couple picks himself. Marshall loves to get physical and is likely to be rewarded by the Panthers at the end of the season with a long-term deal. He’s prepared for the upcoming contract negotiation by switching agents to Drew Rosenhaus in December.

 

Tramon Williams, Green Bay Packers (27) – Restricted FA

Tramon Williams started the season as the third corner behind Al Harris and Charles Woodson, splitting out wide in nickel packages to allow Woodson to slip inside to the slot. After Harris’ season-ending injury Williams stepped into the starting lineup with ease. While many saw the Ravens pick on Tramon on Monday Night in Week 13, he bounced right back to make a game-clinching interception at the goal line. As Williams earns a reputation in the league and learns to use more subtle contact downfield, he could develop into one of the better corners in the league. The Packers should sign Williams to a long-term extension at the end of the year, but still have the ability to tender him a restricted free agent, regardless of the CBA.

 

Other Notable Free Agents:

 

Alan Ball, Dallas Cowboys (25) – Restricted FA

Will Blackmon, Green Bay Packers (25) – Restricted FA (UFA-CBA)

Dre’ Bly, San Francisco 49ers (33)

Ralph Brown, Arizona Cardinals (31)

Kevin Dockery, New York Giants (26) – Restricted FA (UFA-CBA)

Brent Grimes, Atlanta Falcons (27) – Restricted FA

Nick Harper, Tennessee Titans (35)

Walt Harris, San Francisco 49ers (36)

Anthony Henry, Detroit Lions (33)

Ellis Hobbs, Philadelphia Eagles (27) – Restricted FA (UFA-CBA)

Roderick Hood, Cleveland Browns (28)

Marlin Jackson, Indianapolis Colts (27) – Restricted FA (UFA-CBA)

Tim Jennings, Indianapolis Colts (27) – Restricted FA (UFA-CBA)

Ken Lucas, Seattle Seahawks (31)

Karl Paymah, Minnesota Vikings (27) – Restricted FA (UFA-CBA)

Stanford Routt, Oakland Raiders (27) – Restricted FA (UFA-CBA)

Deshea Townsend, Pittsburgh Steelers (34)

Fabian Washington, Baltimore Ravens (27) – Restricted FA (UFA-CBA)

Usama Young, New Orleans Saints (25) – Restricted FA

 

 

Top Safeties:

 

 

Darren Sharper, New Orleans Saints (34)

After a couple of inconsistent seasons in Minnesota, Darren Sharper has put himself back on the map while picking of 9 passes and breaking Ed Reed’s league record for most INT yards in a season (376). Sharper is your typical gambler in the secondary, risking big plays for aggressive coverage and the interception. Not to downplay Sharper’s success, but he’s only adequate in run support as well. The Saints would surely love to have him back on a defense that prides itself on forcing turnovers, but may not want to commit too many years to him considering he is also 34.

 

Nick Collins, Green Bay Packers (27) – Restricted FA (UFA-CBA)

After seeing Collins blossom into one of best safeties last year, earning a Pro Bowl invite, the Packers wanted to see if he would perform at that high level once again. Almost through the regular season, Collins has done just that, playing at a level indicative of his talent and as one of the 5 best safeties in the league, earning a nod on my All-Pro team this year. The former second-round selection from Bethune-Cookman plays a very unique game. Collins isn’t always in the exact right position and plays aggressively in coverage, but has elite recovery speed to account for any error in his position. He’s a well-rounded safety capable of crashing into the box to make tackles in run support. Collins has picked off 6 passes and should be paid handsomely by Green Bay this offseason.

 

Antoine Bethea, Indianapolis Colts (26) – Restricted FA (UFA-CBA)

Antoine Bethea is every bit as talented and important to the Colts’ secondary as the renowned enforcer, Bob Sanders, who’s on the IR this season. Despite earning a Pro Bowl selection in 2007, Bethea is still highly unrecognized. He’s consistently one of the Colts’ leading tacklers as a result of his sound angles and quick closing speed around the line of scrimmage. He is a little susceptible in coverage, but has the ability to play both strong safety and free safety. Even though this wasn’t Bethea’s best season, it was very close to it, and the Colts will most likely place Bethea at the top of their priorities this season.

 

Roman Harper, New Orleans Saints (27) – Restricted FA (UFA-CBA)

Roman Harper can be compared to Bethea in a number of regards as one of the more underrated safeties in the league. His ability around the line of scrimmage in run support is among the best in the league. Harper led the Saints in tackles for loss was only a couple back of Jonathan Vilma for the clubhouse-lead in the tackles. Both of the Saints’ safeties are set to become free agents this year with Harper great in the box and Sharper pretty good in coverage. Harper also has a weakness dropping into coverage while Sharper struggles taking sound angles in the run game.

 

O.J. Atogwe, St. Louis Rams (29) – Restricted FA (UFA-CBA)

Atogwe is a four-year starter for the Rams at the backend of their secondary, giving them consistent production. Though his impact plays were down this season, Atogwe was on pace to break his personal best for tackles this season prior to his shoulder injury, which forced him to the IR. After designating him their franchise player, last season, the Rams were unable to get a long-term extension done. Coming off injury, the Rams will be cautious, but also realize Atogwe is one of the better players on the team

 

Bernard Pollard, Houston Texans (25) – Restricted FA (UFA-CBA)

After being cut by the Chiefs close to the start of the regular season, Bernard Pollard landed a starting spot with the Texans and turned in a fine year. He had 102 stops to go with 4 interceptions. Since Pollard entered the starting lineup in Week 4, the Texans allowed only 84.3 yards per game on the ground and 3.6 yards per carry after allowing 205 yards per game over the first three. Pollard’s impact in the box has gone largely unnoticed, but is probably well-documented inside the Texans’ locker room and front office.

 

Other Notable Free Agents:

 

Will Allen, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (28)

Atari Bigby, Green Bay Packers (28) – Restricted FA (UFA-CBA)

C.C. Brown, New York Giants (27) – Restricted FA (UFA-CBA)

Daniel Bullocks, Detroit Lions (27) – Restricted FA (UFA-CBA)

Josh Bullocks, Chicago Bears (27) – Restricted FA (UFA-CBA)

Tyrone Carter, Pittsburgh Steelers (34)

Ryan Clark, Pittsburgh Steelers (30)

Abram Elam, Cleveland Browns (28) – Restricted FA (UFA-CBA)

Hiram Eugene, Oakland Raiders (29)

Sean Jones, Philadelphia Eagles (28)

Dawan Landry, Baltimore Ravens (27) – Restricted FA (UFA-CBA)

Danieal Manning, Chicago Bears (28) – Restricted FA (UFA-CBA)

Jarrad Page, Kansas City Chiefs (26) – Restricted FA (UFA-CBA)

Brodney Pool, Cleveland Browns (26) – Restricted FA (UFA-CBA)

Mark Roman, San Francisco 49ers (33)

Gerald Sensabaugh, Dallas Cowboys (27) – Restricted FA (UFA-CBA)

Roy Williams, Cincinnati Bengals (30)

George Wilson, Buffalo Bills (28) – Restricted FA (UFA-CBA)

 

 

[Alaskan Grizzly]

Forget about any of the RFA's, especially since their current teams pretty much have first dibs on them. If they are "top candidates" in either category then that will be something difficult for the Bears to match. I consistently see many here suggest the Bears are in need of a new (or improved) FS for the defense. (IMHO - still think needs first and foremost are on Offense). But if you were to entertain the FA route then there are few here that are worth considering. Again, if the Bears were to persue this RFA (unlikely) then my money would be on someone like the Rams Otogwe. He is good, consistent and probably ready to make the move to another team as did Tinoisomoa, Pace and Archuleta (and possibly Martz) did before him. Otherwise if money was no issue (or so was reality for that matter) than I would do all I could to get someone like Darren Sharper. He was available last year and the Bears squandered their opportunity.

 

I still like the suggestion some time back about the conversion to the the 3-4 with Tillman playing FS. This type of move allows the Bears to work with what they got. Think about the LB positon with Urlacher, Briggs, Tinoisomoa and Roach(?) all working at the "second level" of the defense. Sounds pretty intriguing.

 

[defiantgiant]

Forget about any of the RFA's, especially since their current teams pretty much have first dibs on them.

It's worse than first dibs. The Rams could tender an offer to Atogwe at the lowest RFA level, and we'd have to give up our third-round pick if they didn't match the offer. A 3rd-rounder for a dinged-up guy who's going to be 29 before next season?

 

Also, I really, really don't like the idea of Tillman to FS. He's still our best corner, and we don't really have another guy who could take the spot across from Bowman, since Graham would be a pretty big downgrade from Peanut. Also, with all the shoulder and back problems that Tillman has had over the past couple of years, exposing him to the harder impact at safety could definitely shorten his career.

 

If there's one guy I'd look at, it's Kerry Rhodes from the Jets. He's 27 and a pretty good coverage safety (he had 13 passes broken up and 3 interceptions to go with 63 tackles this season) with great size at 6'3" and 214 pounds. The Jets might cut him rather than pay his $2 million roster bonus, or they might make him available via trade. He was only a 4th-round pick, and it wouldn't be crazy to get him for a 4th or a 4th and a lower-tier player. Rhodes would be an upgrade and allow Danieal Manning to move back to nickel DB, where he's much better. If we had Tillman-Bowman at corner, Manning as the nickel, and Rhodes-Afalava at safety, that would be a pretty good secondary.

[Alaskan Grizzly]

It's worse than first dibs. The Rams could tender an offer to Atogwe at the lowest RFA level, and we'd have to give up our third-round pick if they didn't match the offer. A 3rd-rounder for a dinged-up guy who's going to be 29 before next season?

 

Also, I really, really don't like the idea of Tillman to FS. He's still our best corner, and we don't really have another guy who could take the spot across from Bowman, since Graham would be a pretty big downgrade from Peanut. Also, with all the shoulder and back problems that Tillman has had over the past couple of years, exposing him to the harder impact at safety could definitely shorten his career.

 

If there's one guy I'd look at, it's Kerry Rhodes from the Jets. He's 27 and a pretty good coverage safety (he had 13 passes broken up and 3 interceptions to go with 63 tackles this season) with great size at 6'3" and 214 pounds. The Jets might cut him rather than pay his $2 million roster bonus, or they might make him available via trade. He was only a 4th-round pick, and it wouldn't be crazy to get him for a 4th or a 4th and a lower-tier player. Rhodes would be an upgrade and allow Danieal Manning to move back to nickel DB, where he's much better. If we had Tillman-Bowman at corner, Manning as the nickel, and Rhodes-Afalava at safety, that would be a pretty good secondary.

 

I concede my vote Mr. Giant. Nice research and good points indeed. I guess I wasn't looking at the age factor on Atogwe. I totally missed that. You are right.

 

And the counter on Tillman is a good point, especially if you compare him to how Mike Brown fared, however not so sure that Tillman would be exposed to nearly the damage you think he would at FS. That comes with more the SS position. FS is more like a third CB with more room to roam. Anyhow, it would be all moot if someone like Rhodes were the man that was brought in. Good choice.

[defiantgiant]

I concede my vote Mr. Giant. Nice research and good points indeed. I guess I wasn't looking at the age factor on Atogwe. I totally missed that. You are right.

 

And the counter on Tillman is a good point, especially if you compare him to how Mike Brown fared, however not so sure that Tillman would be exposed to nearly the damage you think he would at FS. That comes with more the SS position. FS is more like a third CB with more room to roam. Anyhow, it would be all moot if someone like Rhodes were the man that was brought in. Good choice.

If we wanted to use more of a centerfielder free safety like Baltimore does, I'd be very OK with moving Tillman there. In the Tampa-2, though, the whole premise is to keep the play in front of the DBs, then make the tackle/strip the ball. The free safety and strong safety are supposed to be interchangeable, and the scheme makes the FS do about as much tackling as the SS. You're right, though, if we were going to move away from the Tampa-2, Tillman would be a good coverage-type FS and it would probably prolong his career some.

 

As far as this offseason goes, I think we should be on the lookout for guys like Rhodes: players who are still under contract, but are due a lot of money. There might be a very weak free agent class this year, but a lot of teams could be cutting guys. I've read in several places that some teams will probably try to save a bunch of money on player salaries in 2010, what with there being no salary floor and no cap. So some guys who ordinarily wouldn't get cut because of the cap hit might get released, since their teams will be worried about their real salary, not the cap.

 

The other thing is that this is a great year for free safeties in the draft, which is very unusual. Eric Berry, Taylor Mays, and Earl Thomas could all go in the first round, and they'll push quality prospects like Nate Allen and Morgan Burnett into the 2nd, at least. If Angelo can trade from our high 3rd up to the middle of the 2nd, he could get either Allen or Burnett: they're both real ballhawks and could probably start immediately.

[Alaskan Grizzly]

If we wanted to use more of a centerfielder free safety like Baltimore does, I'd be very OK with moving Tillman there. In the Tampa-2, though, the whole premise is to keep the play in front of the DBs, then make the tackle/strip the ball. The free safety and strong safety are supposed to be interchangeable, and the scheme makes the FS do about as much tackling as the SS. You're right, though, if we were going to move away from the Tampa-2, Tillman would be a good coverage-type FS and it would probably prolong his career some.

 

Right, if the Bears stayed with the Tampa 2. The premise for moving Tillman to FS was that I had recently read a suggestion of the Bears looking at the 3-4 base defense. And in that role, Tillman would be just about right for the FS. The big lure for me is having 4 LB's at the middle level, especially with as much passing that goes on and especially the "dink and dunk" type associated with the West Coast style. That is a killer for the Tampa 2, as has been evidenced over the last few years.

 

Rhodes would still be a sweet pickup though.

[defiantgiant]

Right, if the Bears stayed with the Tampa 2. The premise for moving Tillman to FS was that I had recently read a suggestion of the Bears looking at the 3-4 base defense. And in that role, Tillman would be just about right for the FS. The big lure for me is having 4 LB's at the middle level, especially with as much passing that goes on and especially the "dink and dunk" type associated with the West Coast style. That is a killer for the Tampa 2, as has been evidenced over the last few years.

 

Rhodes would still be a sweet pickup though.

 

We don't have the horses to run a 3-4, and we don't have the draft picks to get them. Nobody on our current roster could play nose tackle, none of them have played in a two-gap scheme that I'm aware of, and neither Harris nor Adams would be a good fit at 3-4 DE. We'd need a whole new defensive line to install a 3-4. The best candidates we have for a 30 front on the current roster are Idonije and Gilbert at end and Harrison in the middle. Needless to say, that would be a pretty poor 3-4 d-line. I'm not saying it'll never happen, but even if they wanted to make that switch, they'd be a couple of years away at best.