Possible Targets For Free Agency & The Draft

Dec 22, 2013; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Tennessee Titans cornerback Alterraun Verner (20) against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Cornerback:

Ahhh… cornerback. This is possibly the most discussed & disagreed upon position of the offseason. Derek Cox is history, and so is Johnny Patrick. Crezdon Butler is probably not returning. That leaves Shareece Wright, Richard Marshall, Marcus Gilchrist, and Steve Williams (who is recovering from injury, and hasn’t played a regular season snap). Also, there is no guarantee that Marshall is coming back. So, getting a new cornerback (or two) is definitely in our future. Which route should we go, though? Free Agency, or the draft, or both? I am going with both.

First of all, I would spend the money on a good cornerback before I broke the bank on a nose tackle. I know that’s not going to be popular with some readers. But, that’s my story, and I’m sticking with it. Both are important, but I just don’t think we can afford to wait another year for the secondary to improve. If we draft a CB like Verrett, Roby, Dennard, Gilbert, or Fuller in the first round, that’s fine with me. I would jump for joy, because our backfield has been THAT bad for THAT long. But, the odds of a 1^st round pick (no matter how good he is) coming into the league & lighting it up in his first year are slim. Even the best CB’s need time to acclimate. We are facing some very good teams this season, with some excellent receivers. Think about that hard, if you like seeing the Chargers in the playoffs.

Hopefully, we can afford a guy like Alterraun Verner, or Aquib Talib. If not, try and get someone like Corey Graham, or Vontae Davis, Captain Munnerlyn, or even Brandon Browner (for cheap). Just get SOMEBODY that you know can start, & cover a top tier NFL receiver. We need someone who can step in, and be the #1 CB right off the bat. If we get a good enough player, we could also take a chance picking up a developmental cornerback in the later rounds, and save our first couple picks for other positions. Telesco can do it anyway he wants, as there are 100 ways to skin a cat. I just can’t shake the feeling that we need to get a solid veteran starter this season, let our draft pick(s) develop behind him, and eventually compete for the starting role. And, let’s not get another Derek Cox type of player that hasn’t proven to be an unquestioned #1 cornerback, or at least a really good #2 cornerback.