Free Agent Cornerbacks

Our track record for drafting corners is awful, that much is obvious (see: Malcolm Jenkins, Patrick Robinson, Johnny Patrick, Stanley Jean-Baptiste, Corey White). However, we have proven to be much better at bringing in free agents at the position and having them not only excel here, but also come at reasonable rates (see: Jabari Greer and Keenan Lewis).

It's clear that we are in desperate need of a quality No. 2 corner opposite Lewis. The position has been a revolving door in more ways than one. Terrence Frederick is the latest guy to start over there, and, honestly, he has been solid, but he cannot possibly be the future of the position. He needs veteran competition. So, I skimmed a list of FA cornerbacks for 2015 and picked a few I felt would fit nicely.

1. Byron Maxwell, Seattle - Maxwell has good size and toughness for the position, and could be the latest Seattle defender to be poached away. With teams shying away from Sherman on the other side, Maxwell has really done a great job of locking his side down as well. He could be had at ~$5mil/year and still have his best football ahead of him.

2. Chris Culliver, San Fran - The Niners will probably want to lock up their top corner, but as volatile as things are over there, I could see him slipping away like Tarell Brown and Donte Whitner did last off-season. Still only 26, Culliver is still getting better, particularly in the takeaway department. His deal would be similar to Maxwell's.

3. Perrish Cox, San Fran - Cox has had a tumultuous career in the NFL thus far, mainly stemming from off the field problems, but this year he finally seemed to have his head on straight. He has never been short on talent (at one time he was considered a potential 1st rounder), but because of those issues, he bounced between several teams the past few years. Stepping his game up when called to duty from injuries to guys ahead of him, Cox shined with 5 interceptions on the year and 18 passes defended. He's a size-speed guy that might be worth taking a shot on. My guess for salary would be ~$3mil/year.

As a final note, you should not put much stock into the contract estimates. The FA corner class is very weak this year and could inflate prices. Other teams may be willing to pay more of a premium to retain the services of these players as well. Just my $0.02, so take it for what you will. Share with me your thoughts!

P.S. I'm in favor of bringing PRob back at the minimum to play nickel.