Corner Report: Week 5

This article will go game by game for the Sunday main slate looking at the top wide receivers from an offense and, based on the inside/outside and left/right splits in the alignment data of those receivers, identify the cornerbacks most likely to face them in man coverage.

Receivers very rarely see the same corner every play, be it due to formational quirks or zone coverage calls by the defense, so a receiver's fortunes depend on much more than just the quality of the corner they're likely to see the most in a given game. Even against a bad corner, a good receiver can be denied the opportunity if the pass rush or something else outside his control complicates things. But it's part of the puzzle, and it's worth keeping track of.

Receivers are left with an Upgrade, Downgrade, or Even verdict based on their projected matchup. This shouldn't be read as 'good' or 'bad' but rather a measured tweak from the receiver's baseline projection.
 

Tampa Bay vs Miami

TAMPA BAY WIDE RECEIVERS

It's not clear whether Byron Jones (quadriceps/Achilles) will be able to play, or if he does it's not clear whether he'll play his usual workload. It's also not clear whether, if available, Jones would be deployed with a specific receiver assignment or a set directional alignment. Jones usually plays the right side, and if he plays there he should see the most of Mike Evans, who lines up on the left (the defense's right) a bit more than the right. Antonio Brown would likely be on the right side in such cases, and Xavien Howard lines up there if Jones has the defense's right side. Generally speaking, it's probably easier for Evans to get open against an injured Jones than for Brown against Howard. Chris Godwin gets to avoid both of Miami's top two corners by running from the slot most of the time. Nik Needham might be a decent slot corner, but he's at a disadvantage against a player of Godwin's quality.

Upgrade: Chris Godwin
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Mike Evans, Antonio Brown

MIAMI WIDE RECEIVERS

The Buccaneers secondary is beat up, so the Miami receivers might be able to create some separation Sunday. The potential return of Jamel Dean (knee) gives Tampa some help on one side, but CB1 Carlton Davis (quadriceps) might be out, and the team was already without slot corner Sean Murphy-Bunting. Not just that, but safety Antoine Winfield (concussion) might be out).

DeVante Parker should see an even split of Dean and Richard Sherman, two corners who mirror Parker in terms of build and athleticism but maybe not skill, especially in the case of the aging and recently signed Sherman. Jaylen Waddle should be a tough cover for both Dean and Sherman, who are better built to run with bigger, more linear receivers. Rather than the Buccaneers secondary, the issue for Parker and Waddle would sooner be the play of quarterback Jacoby Brissett.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: DeVante Parker, Jaylen Waddle

Jacksonville vs Tennessee

JACKSONVILLE WIDE RECEIVERS

With DJ Chark out the Jaguars have just Marvin Jones as an established outside receiver option, and he should see a lot of top Tennessee corner Kristian Fulton, who appears to have broken out and become one of the league's more effective corners in his third season. It even seemed like Fulton was following around Corey Davis a good bit last week, so the Titans might choose to use Fulton as a shadow on Jones. Jones could still win that matchup at least occasionally, but it's tougher than any alternative. Laviska Shenault should get an easier matchup running against slot corner Chris Jackson, a skinny player around 40 pounds lighter than Shenault. The other outside receiver will either be Tavon Austin or Tyron Johnson, but there's no reason either (especially the former) does much.

Upgrade: Laviska Shenault
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Marvin Jones

TENNESSEE WIDE RECEIVERS

A.J. Brown (hamstring) should be back, and hopefully back to his normal self. The Jaguars have one decent corner in Shaquill Griffin, and he's a candidate to shadow Brown, especially if Julio Jones (hamstring) remains out. It's still a matchup where Brown is the favorite, but ideally he would get cracks at the much weaker Jacksonville corners like Tyson Campbell and slot corner Tre Herndon. It's a good matchup for Brown either way. Slot receiver Chester Rogers might do something against Herndon, but it's not an obvious advantage.

Upgrade: A.J. Brown, Julio Jones
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Chester Rogers

Carolina vs Philadelphia

CAROLINA WIDE RECEIVERS

To this point the Eagles have played Darius Slay on the left and Steven Nelson on the right. DJ Moore lines up everywhere and should a somewhat even helping of both, assuming the Eagles don't use Slay as a shadow on Moore. That would be a tougher matchup for Moore than a mix of Slay and Nelson, but it's still a matchup he can win. Robby Anderson would see an even helping of both corners, too, if Slay doesn't shadow Moore. If Slay does shadow Moore then it could be viewed as a slight upgrade for Anderson's matchup. Slot corner Avonte Maddox is much smaller than Terrace Marshall, though the rookie has looked out of place playing the slot so far.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: DJ Moore, Robby Anderson, Terrace Marshall

PHILADELPHIA WIDE RECEIVERS

The Panthers hope Stephon Gilmore can step in right away, and if so he should make the defense tougher immediately. Donte Jackson and A.J. Bouye are the top corners otherwise, with C.J. Henderson fitting in third. To this point Jackson mostly played the right, leaving Bouye on the left until Gilmore is ready. When Gilmore can play either Jackson or Bouye will likely have their snaps decreased a bit. In the meantime Henderson is a candidate to step in on the left side in three-wide formations, at which point Bouye moves into the slot.

DeVonta Smith mostly plays outside and on the left a bit more than the right, so he should mostly see Jackson and to a lesser extent Bouye. Jalen Reagor would generally be left with Bouye and to a lesser extent Jackson. There's nothing obviously good or bad about the matchup for either of them. Quez Watkins should mostly run against Bouye in the slot.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: DeVonta Smith, Jalen Reagor, Quez Watkins

Pittsburgh vs Denver

PITTSBURGH WIDE RECEIVERS

The Denver defense is tough, so there are no good matchups especially, but if there's a weak spot then until further notice it might be the rookie Patrick Surtain, who also happens to be dealing with a chest injury. Surtain plays the right side, where Diontae Johnson runs most of his routes. Johnson should also see some of Kyle Fuller, but that should more often be the matchup for Chase Claypool, who should see some of everyone. JuJu Smith-Schuster should see a lot of Bryce Callahan in the slot.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: JuJu Smith-Schuster
Even: Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool

DENVER WIDE RECEIVERS

Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick line up on either side of the offense, but Sutton is on the left a bit more often, and Patrick the right. Patrick has shown up in the slot a surprising amount, so he might continue to do that when the Broncos go to a three-wide formation. Diontae Spencer and Kendall Hinton appear to be the main Denver slot specialists in the meantime, though it appears they're readying David Moore to perhaps step into that role. Sutton in any case should mostly run against Joe Haden and Ahkello Witherspoon/James Pierre, at least if Cameron Sutton (groin) has to sit out. Sutton plays the slot when available, so if he's out then Arthur Maulet might be the slot replacement. If it's an upgrade for anyone it's probably Patrick, assuming he keeps getting slot looks.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick

Cincinnati vs Green Bay

CINCINNATI WIDE RECEIVERS

With Jaire Alexander out this Packers defense is in big trouble. Rookie Eric Stokes is playing admirably on one side, but his rawness is still evident at times and he'll be hard-pressed to cover Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase. Then again, Stokes is tougher to beat than Kevin King or Isaac Yiadom. Chandon Sullivan appears occasionally competent in the slot, but that isn't good enough against Tyler Boyd. Upgrades for everyone.

Upgrade: Tee Higgins, Ja'Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A

GREEN BAY WIDE RECEIVERS

Davante Adams is of course matchup-proof, but it this might be a better-than-average setting for him all the same. He lines up everywhere, and none of the Cincinnati secondary components are intimidating. Chidobe Awuzie is a candidate to shadow Adams at times when outside, but there's nothing intimidating about that, nor is Trae Waynes on whatever side opposite Awuzie. Slot corner Mike Hilton is easily beatable for a player like Adams. Hilton is also probably beatable for Randall Cobb, who should take most of the slot snaps. Allen Lazard should get most of the outside reps opposite Adams.

Upgrade: Davante Adams, Randall Cobb
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Allen Lazard

Houston vs New England

HOUSTON WIDE RECEIVERS

Brandin Cooks is an excellent receiver and the Patriots would be crazy to let him get away from J.C. Jackson before the snap. Jackson and slot corner Jonathan Jones have the speed to run with Cooks, but Jalen Mills has no such prayer. It's crucial that the Patriots keep Cooks away from Mills, so we should expect that they will. If they do, it's a tough resulting matchup for Cooks. Chris Conley is athletic enough to run past Mills, too, but he's much more easily managed than Cooks. Anthony Miller should run in the slot, where Jones is the better player.H​​​​​​​ Apologies, with Miller gone Danny Amendola should be 

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Brandin Cooks, Anthony Miller, Danny Amendola
Even: Chris Conley

NEW ENGLAND WIDE RECEIVERS

Vernon Hargreaves and Terrance Mitchell might be scrappy or something, but they are not good outside corners. Kendrick Bourne and especially Nelson Agholor are candidates to beat both of them repeatedly. The toughest matchup actually goes to Jakobi Meyers, who should see the most of Houston slot corner Desmond King, the one good Houston cornerback.

Upgrade: Nelson Agholor, Kendrick Bourne
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jakobi Meyers

Minnesota vs Detroit

MINNESOTA WIDE RECEIVERS

Wheels up for everyone. Detroit has one decent outside corner in Amani Oruwariye, but opposite him is a former practice squadder in Bobby Price. The slot coverage is by A.J. Parker, who has struggled to this point. K.J. Osborn has the advantage over Parker in the slot, while outside both Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson have the advantage each play. If the Vikings wide receivers disappoint it would probably be because the Vikings didn't throw all that much.

Upgrade: Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, K.J. Osborn
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A

DETROIT WIDE RECEIVERS

Kalif Raymond continues to log a lot of snaps and targets outside, and in that role he could pose a surprisingly big danger to the Vikings secondary. Patrick Peterson and Bashaud Breeland can't turn and run very effectively, and they're particularly ill-suited to tracking a dart like Raymond. Peterson and Breeland more effectively match the athletic traits of the slowish Quintez Cephus, though Cephus has flashed enough skill to this point that he shouldn't be bet against when playing generally mediocre corners like these. The best Vikings corners is probably Mackensie Alexander in the slot, so he might be a challenging matchup for Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Upgrade: Kalif Raymond
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Quintez Cephus, Amon-Ra St. Brown

Washington vs New Orleans

WASHINGTON WIDE RECEIVERS

This Saints defense has looked tough at most times this year, and they haven't even gotten trade acquisition Bradley Roby on the field yet. That should change here, especially after Kenny Golladay lit up the Saints defense last week. Marshon Lattimore is generally good on one side, but if Roby can't step up yet then the Saints have to keep going with rookie third-round pick Paulson Adebo, who is more toolsy than skilled at the moment. The slot coverage from Chauncey Gardner-Johnson isn't as strong as his contributions against the run, but he's very athletic at least and should make Adam Humphries work for whatever separation he can create. Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel are the greatest dangers to the Saints, of course, and it's possible that both pose challenging covers for Lattimore/Roby/Adebo.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Terry McLaurin (raise to Upgrade if Adebo continues to play), Curtis Samuel, Adam Humphries

NEW ORLEANS WIDE RECEIVERS

Jack Del Rio has completely destroyed this Washington defense, and no one is playing up to their talent level. So long as that's the case, player-on-player matchups matter less than the point of the broader dysfunction. So while Marquez Callaway and Deonte Harris would normally project as at a disadvantage against William Jackson and Kendall Fuller, the team management is so poor with the latter two that their talent gets a diminished returns compared to their opponents. Ty Montgomery also got involved last week, so we probably can't count him out from an appearance.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Marquez Callaway, Deonte Harris, Ty Montgomery

Chargers vs Cleveland

CHARGERS WIDE RECEIVERS

This Browns secondary is very talented but also beat up – Greg Newsome might be out, and Denzel Ward is managing a neck issue. Even slot corner Troy Hill is dealing with a toe injury. Greedy Williams stepped up in Newsome's place last week and will have a chance to show up here against Mike Williams. That's a tough matchup for Greedy, but Ward is so small it still might be in the Browns' best interests to keep Williams on Williams. Then again, Jalen Guyton isn't exactly small himself on the other side, so Ward might just have to step up around the rim against Williams.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Jalen Guyton
Even: Keenan Allen, Mike Williams

CLEVELAND WIDE RECEIVERS

The Chargers secondary is playing downhill right now and making it tough on opposing wideouts, which may or may not matter against a receiver as good as Odell Beckham. When getting completely wide open amounts to as much as it did last week, then the reality of playing with Baker Mayfield is that matchups don't necessarily matter. Beckham is good enough to get open in the toughest matchups, and Mayfield is bad enough to miss the broad side of a barn in the easy ones. More than matchup, Beckham's fortunes will always tie to whether Mayfield's knuckleballs are landing on the intended spot. Donovan Peoples-Jones has mostly been a decoy to this point, running a lot of routes for not many targets, so it's difficult to anticipate opportunity for him specifically. Rashard Higgins seems like a better candidate for targets, but he gets a tough matchup against Chris Harris in the slot.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Rashard Higgins
Even: Odell Beckham, Donovan Peoples-Jones

Las Vegas vs Chicago

LAS VEGAS WIDE RECEIVERS

Jaylon Johnson is a hell of a player at right corner, but as long as the Bears keep him there teams can just move their receivers into the slot or the left corner to stay away from him. The Raiders have a variety of ways they can deploy Henry Ruggs – they might put him on the offense's right to stay away from Johnson, or they might reason that Ruggs should run against Johnson because Johnson's one weakness (if he has one) would be downfield speed. If Ruggs can throttle Johnson with deep speed then the whole Bears pass defense will fall apart, but otherwise whoever runs against Johnson probably isn't getting the target on any given play. Kindle Vildor isn't a bum on the other side, but he's much more easily beaten than Johnson. Of course, Ruggs gets plenty of slot looks too, and there he poses a major threat to Duke Shelley. If not Ruggs then Hunter Renfrow should get the better of Shelley. Bryan Edwards stays outermost among the Raiders receivers, so he should almost exclusively run against Johnson and Vildor.

Upgrade: Hunter Renfrow
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Henry Ruggs, Bryan Edwards

CHICAGO WIDE RECEIVERS

Maybe it really won't ever happen for Allen Robinson in 2021. Talent like his feels inevitable and this secondary could be thinned a bit if Trayvon Mullen (toe) is out, but Casey Hayward might shadow Robinson outside and in the slot rookie fifth-round pick Nate Hobbs has been very good so far. Perhaps the rookie gets his first real NFL lesson from Robinson in this one, and Robinson is certainly capable of transcending tough matchups, but Hobbs and Hayward have been convincing. Darnell Mooney has the speed to run past either corner, especially Hayward, and the Bears might want to seriously consider that exact look to shake up the Raiders secondary off its rhythm. Marquise Goodwin poses a similar speed threat, though Chicago's ability to utilize it is less convincing.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Allen Robinson, Darnell Mooney, Marquise Goodwin

Arizona vs San Francisco

ARIZONA WIDE RECEIVERS

A.J. Green showed signs of life for the second week in a row, and he might get a chance to keep it rolling against a reeling 49ers corner rotation. Dre Kirkpatrick was signed and promoted to the starting lineup last week but the soon-to-be 32-year-old was a free agent for a reason. He should be the primary matchup for Green, while DeAndre Hopkins should mostly see Emmanuel Moseley. Moseley is the best 49ers corner with Jason Verrett out, but Moseley is quite small and doesn't want to defend the rim against Hopkins. The slot coverage from K'Waun Williams should be competent, but in the slot Christian Kirk and Rondale Moore are more challenging covers than most.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Green, Christian Kirk, Rondale Moore

SAN FRANCISCO WIDE RECEIVERS

The Arizona defense is tough, and a road starting debut for Trey Lance could be very difficult in this setting. The Cardinals are huge and fast in the front seven, and they have a variety of looks to make the quarterback's job difficult in pre-snap reads. The corners are not especially imposing, but keep in mind that Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk are dependent on Lance getting them the ball, even if them getting open is assured. Byron Murphy has been the toughest Arizona corner and he tends to play in the slot when offenses go three-wide, so he might be the main matchup for Samuel. It's not cause for a downgrade given Samuel's usage and abilities, but perhaps less than the ideal all the same. Aiyuk has no good excuse to lose against Robert Alford or Marco Wilson outside, but his season has been beyond bizarre and it's difficult to reason anything with him.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk

Dallas vs Giants

DALLAS WIDE RECEIVERS

The Giants often use James Bradberry in a shadow role against teams' No. 1 wideouts, though against Dallas it's not clear whether Amari Cooper or CeeDee Lamb meets that distinction over the other in the eyes of the Giants. The Giants might leave Bradberry on whichever of Cooper or Lamb does not line up in the slot – Bradberry generally stays outside – but in cases where both wideouts are outside it could go either way between Bradberry and fellow corner Adoree' Jackson, who would be a shadow corner candidate in most other defenses. The Giants usually have one of their three safeties serving as the slot corner in nickel formations, though with Jabrill Peppers hurting it's not clear whether they'll have to rearrange things there. The coverage matchup looks tough from whatever part of the field, but the slot might be where the Giants are most easily hurt. Cooper has played the slot more than Lamb, though Cedrick Wilson is the one who projects there most reliably on a per-snap basis.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, Cedrick Wilson

GIANTS WIDE RECEIVERS

If the Cowboys consider Kenny Golladay the top Giants wideout then they might use Trevon Diggs to shadow him. Diggs is on fire with five interceptions already this year, and he's clearly one of the league's up-and-coming corners, but Golladay is as tough as any test Diggs has seen yet this year. Assuming Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard remain out with hamstring issues, then Kadarius Toney and John Ross will need to step up again. Both did well against the Saints last week, and both have the speed to do a lot of damage without a lot of usage. Anthony Brown is not an intimidating matchup for either player, nor is Jourdan Lewis especially frightening in the slot. Toney has no good reason to flop here if Slayton and Shepard are out.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney, John Ross