Where Will Patriots Turn For A No. 1 Corner Following J.C. Jackson's Departure?
FOXBORO (CBS) -- J.C. Jackson won't be picking off passes for the Patriots anymore, bolting for a big money deal from the Los Angeles Chargers. It leaves a massive hole in New England's secondary, one that won't be easy to fill his offseason.
The Patriots don't have a clear replacement for Jackson on the roster. Most importantly, they don't have a ton of cap space to work with this offseason, which will make landing a top corner rather difficult for Bill Belichick and new director of player personnel Matt Groh.
Here is New England's current depth chart at corner. It's ... not pretty:
Jalen Mills
Jonathan Jones
Myles Bryant
Joejuan Williams
Justin Bethel
Shaun Wade
Of that group, only Mills played the most in 2021, on the field for 91 percent of New England's defensive snaps. He struggled to start his Patriots tenure after signing a four-year, $24 million deal last offseason, but rounded into form late. Still, Mills is not a top corner, and the Patriots should not consider him as one.
Myles Bryant could maybe continue the trend of undrafted corners rising to the top of New England's depth chart, but that would be a tall ask by the Patriots. Bryant saw a big jump in playing time in his second NFL season, but mostly played in the slot when Jonathan Jones was lost for the year in mid-October. With Jones set to return, Bryant will have to find his opportunity elsewhere, but top corner probably isn't it.
So where will the Patriots turn for a No. 1 corner? The NFL Draft is an option, and the Patriots could land a solid player with the 21st overall pick. Florida's Kaiir Elam, Clemson's Andrew Booth and Washington's Trent McDuffy have all been mocked to New England with the team's first pick in the draft.
But ideally, the Patriots won't send out a rookie to take over as their No. 1 cornerback. And given Belichick's recent track record at drafting the position, it would be a pretty terrifying option to start the 2022 season.
New England will most likely scour the bargain bin on the free agent market, hoping someone is willing to take a prove-it kind of deal in hopes of landing a bigger payday next offseason. Veteran Kyle Fuller and Steven Nelson could fit that bill, and other veterans like Patrick Peterson, Joe Haden and Janoris Jenkins (released by the Titans on Tuesday) are also looking for new homes. Stephon Gilmore is out there as well, though it's hard to imagine a return to New England after the Patriots wouldn't give him a contract extension before last season's trade to Carolina. The always adventurous Eli Apple is also a free agent, though that won't excite too many people, aside from those who love to complain about bad players.
The options are limited for the Patriots to fill the void left by Jackson's departure, so Belichick and company are probably going to have to get pretty creative when it comes to the Patriots' secondary this offseason.