Best Slot Cornerbacks Of All Time

Best Slot Cornerbacks Of All Time Leaders
Best Slot Cornerbacks Of All Time Nfl
Best Slot Cornerbacks Of All Time Players

In the 2019 NFL season, per Sports Info Solutions, there were 19,933 total quarterback dropbacks. Against those dropbacks, NFL defenses put four defensive backs on the field just 18% of the time (3,579 snaps), while nickel defense (with five defensive backs) ruled the league by far with 59% of all snaps (11,780). And if you want to know how much the NFL isn’t a base defense league anymore, consider this: Defenses lined up in dime coverage (six defensive backs on the field) on 20.9% of total dropbacks (4,091), which means that teams played more dime defense than base defense. The Seahawks were the only team to play base defense more than 50% of the time (67%), and the Cardinals finished second at 37%.

Since then, Harris has become one of the elite cover cornerbacks in the entire NFL, having being named to two Pro Bowl teams (2014, 2015) and two All-Pro second teams (2014, 2015). Smith, a five-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro, is only two seasons removed from having been ranked as the third-best player in the entire NFL by PFF, and has since been named to the PFF 2010s.

All this is to say that unless you’re the Seahawks, you’d better have some top-level slot defenders if you want to put a credible pass defense out there in a league where offenses are implementing more kinds of receiver sets and route combinations than ever before.

And it’s not as if the skill sets required to be a slot defender are the same as those for an outside cornerback. You might be up against a 6-foot-5, 250-pound tight end on first down who can body you right out of the paint, and on the next play, you may have to deal with a small, speedy option-route receiver whose job is to juke you right out of your shoes. And as Richard Sherman once told me in his Seattle days, the thing about playing outside cornerback is that the boundary is your friend. That’s not the case when you’re in the slot, where you’re defending in space pretty much all the time.

So, which slot defenders were the most effective and valuable to their teams in 2019, and thus should be set up to do the same in 2020? With help from Pro Football Focus’ metrics, and a whole lot of tape study, here’s one list. To avoid small sample-size results, each of these defenders played at least 50% of their snaps in the slot.

The Chicago Bears secondary received a lot of praise for its growth in 2018, with Kyle Fuller, Adrian Amos and Eddie Jackson grabbing most of the headlines.

Over the last three seasons, though, Bryce Callahan has flown under the radar as a consistent performer in the slot when he’s been healthy.

Avoiding injuries has been the difficult part for him, but when he’s on the field, he’s one of the league’s best.

Pro Football Focus listed him as one of the Top 8 slot cornerbacks in the NFL for 2018, pointing out his on-field reliability in spite of the injuries.

Best Slot Cornerbacks Of All Time Leaders

While Callahan missed some time in 2017 with an injury, he performed well when healthy, generating the third-most slot coverage snaps per reception allowed. While he hasn’t offered much in terms of run defense or as a blitzer (only four career pressures), he’s allowed less than an 80.0 passer rating from the slot in each of his three pro seasons, showing a consistency that is a very valuable piece on an up-and-coming Chicago defense.

Best Slot Cornerbacks Of All Time Nfl

According to PFF, Callahan allowed a 76.3 passer rating when targeted in the slot last season, the sixth-best mark in the NFL. His 82.9 overall grade ranked 31st among all cornerbacks.

Callahan’s playing on only a one-year deal after signing his restricted free agent tender this past offseason.

Best Slot Cornerbacks Of All Time Players

The big key for him will be trying to play all 16 games for the first time in his career. If he stays healthy and continues his level of production, he could be in line for a nice pay day next offseason.