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NFL Free Agency 2016: Ranking Top Available DBs

Richard JanvrinMar 7, 2016

Sitting here writing this column, I'm thinking to myself, "Well...the Cincinnati Bengals are screwed if they lose all of their defensive backs."

Sorry for the spoiler, but there are quite a few Bengals throughout this slideshow.

Like some other positions, the defensive back class is chock-full of youth, veterans and talent.

It seems like teams need high-caliber cornerbacks now more than ever.

Each season, the cornerback landscape seems to change. The elite guys are still great, but they're not necessarily at the same level that has made them elite year in and year out.

Most knew how great Carolina Panthers cornerback Josh Norman was, but he ascended to a level beyond what most thought was probably possible—the Panthers caught lightning in a bottle.

Safety is one of those positions where players can play later into their careers (see Woodson, Charles).

Of course, Charles Woodson is an exception to any rule, but acquiring a young, talented safety will pay huge dividends down the line. If you find a guy who is a legitimate option at safety long term, there's no need to worry about the position.

There are plenty of talented defensive backs who didn't make the top-10 cut

If your team has a need at cornerback or safety, this is a great time to make a splash.

Honorable Mentions

1 of 11

A few guys who just missed the cut but will still provide solid production for whatever team picks them up: Tyvon Branch of the Kansas City Chiefs and William Gay of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Being the No. 3 safety on the Chiefs in 2015, Branch could have started for most teams, having the best season of his career since 2011, per Pro Football Focus.

While Gay won't steal headlines, he provided stellar cornerback play for a desolate Steelers secondary. Need some confirmation? Gay did not allow a single touchdown on him this past season.

Another guy who stands out is Antonio Cromartie, formerly of the New York Jets.

2015 was definitely a disaster of a season for Cromartie, but he has shown in seasons past that he can be a shut-down cornerback.

Of course, Cromartie is a few years removed from that narrative, but a team in desperate need of solid play from the position could hope for the best with Cromartie.

Heading into this past season, fast were undoubtedly excited about the notion of Cromartie pairing back up with fellow cornerback Darrelle Revis—that obviously didn't work out.

At this point in his career, Cromartie will be plenty cheaper.

Originally in the top 10, Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Leon Hall was taken out due to his injury history and age.

While Hall has played well despite those injuries, you have to wonder how many years he has left (two or three, maybe?).

The last guy who just missed the top 10 is Philadelphia Eagles safety Walter Thurmond.

Thurmond is basically ranked "10B."

After probably the best season of his career, he just missed the cut because the No. 10 guy on this list performed so well toward the end of the season, and his potential wooed me over in the end.

Thurmond should not be discounted whatsoever, though, as he is still just 28 years old and in the prime of his career.

If I were a general manager, Gay, Cromartie, Branch, Thurmond and Hall are all players I would offer contracts to.

10. Isa Abdul-Quddus, Detroit Lions

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2015 Statistics

AgeTacklesSacksINTFF
26571.001

2015 Review

After beginning the season as a backup, Detroit Lions safety Isa Abdul-Quddus flourished when he was pushed into the starting role from Week 10 on. From there, Abdul-Quddus went on to be the best safety in all of football, according to Pro Football Focus.

Looking at the entire season, even during his time as a backup, Abdul-Quddus was a top-10 safety against the run.

Abdul-Quddus was one of a few key players instrumental in the rebirth of the Lions' 2015 campaign.

2016 Preview

If 2016 goes anything like the last half of 2015 went, Abdul-Quddus will be one of the best safeties in football. Due to the smaller sample size, Abdul-Quddus is lower on this ranking. He should pick up where he left off in 2015, and that's why he makes the cut at No. 10.

Potential Suitors

One would have to think that the Lions will do everything they can to retain Abdul-Quddus.

If they're not able to, however, Tarik El-Bashir of CSN Washington reported the Washington Redskins will target a young safety this offseason. That could play a role here.

The Redskins would be thrilled to net Abdul-Quddus.

9. Prince Amukamara, New York Giants

3 of 11

2015 Statistics

AgeTacklesSacksINTFF
2663011

2015 Review

2015 was yet another injury-riddled season for talented New York Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara. What we did see, however, was Amukamara have the best season of his career in terms of pass coverage, according to Pro Football Focus.

When he was on the field, Amukamara performed well for the Giants in 2015.

2016 Preview

As mentioned above, Amukamara missed time this past season due to injury. Five games to be exact. 

However, this isn't the only season in which Amukamara has missed time. Throughout his five-year career, Amukamara has missed a total of 25 games. Yes—25.

When he is on the field, Amukamara's talent shines through, and he plays the cornerback position at a respectable level.

Teams will definitely note the injury history with Amukamara.

Potential Suitors

Besides a return to the Giants, Amukamara would make sense landing with the Pittsburgh Steelers or Baltimore Ravens.

For the Steelers, they desperately need help in the secondary, and Amukamara would be their No. 1 cornerback in 2016.

The Ravens are limited in cap space, yes, but if Amukamara is willing to accept a "prove it" deal, he'll land with a Ravens team that is playoff-bound once again after a disastrous 2015 season.

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8. Adam Jones, Cincinnati Bengals

4 of 11

2015 Statistics

AgeTacklesSacksINTFF
32621.031

2015 Review

I'm not sure anyone saw coming what Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam Jones did in 2015. Going into 2015, everyone likely thought he would provide solid play at the position for the Bengals. What we didn't expect, however, was for Jones to be a shutdown cornerback and, according to Pro Football Focus, finish as the No. 13 safety overall.

In 2015, Jones surrendered just one touchdown. The receiver who caught the touchdown on him? Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins—easy to understand how.

2016 Preview

Although 2015 was an incredible season for Jones, keep in mind he is approaching his mid-30s.

Because of this, teams will ponder how much more gas he has left in the tank.

Jones should be fine for a couple more seasons, so a short-term contract makes sense. Either way, he's going to be paid handsomely this offseason.

Potential Suitors

The Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys, in addition to possibly returning to the Bengals, are the teams to watch for this offseason in the Pacman sweepstakes.

A reunion with Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys makes sense. The Cowboys are a perennial playoff contender when quarterback Tony Romo is healthy.

The Miami Dolphins have the beautiful Miami weather to offer Jones, in addition to a team loaded with talent that has yet to fully get over the hump.

7. Reggie Nelson, Cincinnati Bengals

5 of 11

2015 Statistics

AgeTacklesSacksINTFF
3277080

2015 Review

2015 was the best season of Cincinnati Bengals safety Reggie Nelson's career since 2012, per Pro Football Focus, finishing as the No. 13 overall safety. Not only was this one of his best seasons, but Nelson also finished inside the top five among safeties in the pass coverage department.

Even at age 32, Nelson still got the job done for the Bengals in 2015.

2016 Preview

Set to turn 33 during the 2016 season, Nelson still has plenty of game left in him. Since 2011, Nelson has earned a positive grade from PFF, and we should not expect him to decline for another few years, at least.

Nelson will be just fine in 2016.

Potential Suitors

There's a good chance Nelson will be back with the Bengals in 2016. As Geoff Hobson pointed out on Bengals.com, Nelson would love to re-sign with the team this offseason.

6. George Iloka, Cincinnati Bengals

6 of 11

2015 Statistics

AgeTacklesSacksINTFF
2547010

2015 Review

Cincinnati Bengals safety George Iloka completed another amazing chapter in his already great career in 2015.

Per Pro Football Focus, 2015 was Iloka's best season in pass coverage, ranking inside the top 20 in that category among all safeties. However, Iloka did miss four games this past season due to a few different injuries.

2016 Preview

Iloka could very well be done in Cincinnati. Turning 26 later this month, the Bengals did get valuable play out of third-year man Shawn Williams at the safety position.

Iloka will be fully healthy heading into 2016 and beyond.

Potential Suitors

Before the Minnesota Vikings extended safety Andrew Sendejo, the Vikings and Iloka seemed like perfect a marriage.

Moving forward, the Detroit Lions, Washington Redskins and the reigning NFC champion Carolina Panthers make sense for the young safety.

5. Tashaun Gipson, Cleveland Browns

7 of 11

2015 Statistics

AgeTacklesSacksINTFF
2560020

2015 Review

2015 was virtually the polar opposite of a season from 2014 for Cleveland Browns safety Tashaun Gipson, per Pro Football Focus. However, Gipson was hampered most of the season by a lingering ankle injury that kept him out of three games.

At just 26 years old, Gipson has shown he is one of the best safeties in all of football. Let's just chalk 2015 up as a lost season for Gipson.

2016 Preview

Looking ahead, Gipson will rebound from a horrendous 2015 campaign.

If he maintains the pace we all know he can perform at, his future team will have likely found its answer to the safety position for many years to come. Going forward, Gipson will prove to once again be a top-10 cover safety in football.

The 25-year-old got the nod just over Iloka because, at his best, Gipson is in a different stratosphere, though both are young and talented.

Potential Suitors

It's not all that often that a player of Gipson's youth and caliber hits the open market. Just to rattle off a few teams, the Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, Oakland Raiders, New York Giants, Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars all make sense.

To sum it up, any team with cap space and a need at the safety position should target Gipson.

4. Casey Hayward, Green Bay Packers

8 of 11

2015 Statistics

AgeTacklesSacksINTFF
2665000

2015 Review

2015 was another fantastic season for Green Bay Packers cornerback Casey Hayward.

The fourth-year man out of Vanderbilt finished just outside the top 15 in both overall scores and pass coverage scores, including the playoffs, according to Pro Football Focus.

His production justified the Packers' decision to make 2015 the first season in which Hayward was featured as a starter.

2016 Preview

According to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, he expects the Packers to let Hayward walk.

This is probable as Hayward will likely demand a hefty amount of money this offseason. The Packers have over $20 million in cap space, and Hayward may be able to fetch half of that on an annual basis on the open market.

Because 2015 was technically Hayward's first year as a starter, he just missed the top three. However, it should be expected that he picks up where he left off in 2015.

Potential Suitors

If Hayward does indeed leave Green Bay, the Oakland Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars are two teams with a ton of cap space that would be able to present Hayward with a starting gig.

3. Sean Smith, Kansas City Chiefs

9 of 11

2015 Statistics

AgeTacklesSacksINTFF
2845020

2015 Review

Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Sean Smith enjoyed one of the best seasons of his NFL career, according to Pro Football Focus.

Suspended the first three games of the 2015 season, Smith was instrumental in leading the charge of redemption for the Chiefs. During his suspension, the Chiefs relied on rookie cornerback Marcus Peters. As we all know now, Peters is pretty darn good.

However, through the first three games of the season, the Chiefs were surrendering over 300 passing yards and three touchdowns a game. Their opponents were the Houston Texans, Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers.

The quarterbacks they faced in those first three weeks? Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallett, Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers, respectively. We all know the story with Hoyer and Mallett—Manning, too.

Smith is arguably the top available cornerback on the market.

2016 Preview

The Chiefs have to hope they can retain Smith. Whatever team nets him will be getting a guy who finished 2015 as a top-20 overall cornerback and a top-20 cover cornerback. Smith could be a No. 1 cornerback on an NFL roster.

Because of how he helped carry the Chiefs defense, he single-handedly earned the No. 3 overall ranking.

Could he be the next to ascend to elite status?

Potential Suitors

Two teams with a ton of money to spend that are trending upward: the Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders. Both of these squads finished in the bottom portion of pass coverage, per PFF.

2. Eric Weddle, San Diego Chargers

10 of 11

2015 Statistics

AgeTacklesSacksINTFF
31780.500

2015 Review

According to Pro Football Focus, San Diego Chargers safety Eric Weddle declined slightly in 2015, but he still managed to finish as a top-12 safety in the NFL.

Of course, the Chargers were a bad football team in 2015.

Toward the end of the season, there was a strange conflict between the Chargers and Weddle. During halftime of the team's Week 15 matchup with the Miami Dolphins, Weddle did not go into the locker room with the team. Instead, he opted to watch his daughter perform during halftime.

As a result of this, the team fined Weddle $10,000 and subsequently placed him on injured reserve after Week 16.

2016 Preview

Since the debacle that cut Weddle's season short, he has gone on record saying that he will likely never speak to the team again, according to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Strong words.

Although he is north of 30, Weddle is still a premier safety in the league. Whatever team lands him will get plenty of future seasons full of stellar production from the veteran.

Weddle got the nod over his youthful counterparts Gipson and Iloka because safeties can usually play later into their careers at an advanced age than most other positions. Throughout his career, Weddle has been dominant.

While Iloka and Gipson are both sexy picks, Weddle earned his spot at No. 2 because of his longevity at the position at an elite level.

Possible Suitors

The two teams that jump out instantly are the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants.

The Giants could use all the help they can get on defense, and the Steelers desperately need to fix their secondary. Although it was a couple of seasons ago, Weddle could be a fantastic heir to the throne of former Steelers safety Troy Polamalu.

Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer claimed the Carolina Panthers have come to the forefront of the Weddle sweepstakes. If Weddle does land in Carolina, talk about the rich getting richer.

One thing is for sure, there is absolutely zero chance he plays in San Diego in 2016.

1. Janoris Jenkins, Los Angeles Rams

11 of 11

2015 Statistics

AgeTacklesSacksINTFF
2764031

2015 Review

Los Angeles Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins is one of the best cornerbacks in all of football. However, as we know, the Rams used their franchise tag on fellow cornerback Trumaine Johnson. Can't blame them either—Johnson is a fantastic young cornerback as well.

The part of Jenkins' game that makes you stand back just a bit is his knack for giving up big plays and touchdowns. This past season, Jenkins had another season in which he surrendered five touchdowns.

But all in all, 2015 was another strong season for Jenkins.

2016 Preview

As mentioned previously, whatever team lands Jenkins needs to keep in mind his mental lapses, which tend to lead to touchdowns. Throughout his four-year career, Jenkins has allowed at least five touchdowns in each season.

But what makes him so valuable is his playmaking ability. However, the potential highlight-reel ability he possesses has ended up as his kryptonite is some cases—that's where the surrendered touchdowns come in.

Not only is he the top cornerback option in this class, but he's one of the best overall.

Potential Suitors

Any team with a need at cornerback with a lot of money to spend.

Stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus. Cap numbers courtesy of Over The Cap.

Follow me on Twitter @RichardJanvrin.

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