Corner Report: Week 8

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. The corners named will parenthetically cite the rank of their coverage grade from Pro Football Focus from the 2020 season, though sometimes with reference to prior years when noted.

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.

DET vs IND

DETROIT WIDE RECEIVERS

Marvin Jones showed some life before the bye, so hopefully he'll keep it going against this seemingly formidable Colts defense. Jones lines up all over and should see all of the Colts corners eventually, but the ones he should see the most should be Rock Ya-Sin (51.1 PFF), which is probably the easiest Colts corner to beat. Kenny Golladay will need to make the most of his occasional reps against Ya-Sin, because his likely primary matchup, Xavier Rhodes (83.3 PFF), is executing very well in this Colts scheme. Slot corner Kenny Moore will make Danny Amendola and Jones work for their slot production.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Danny Amendola
Even: Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones

INDIANAPOLIS WIDE RECEIVERS

If Philip Rivers can get the ball to Marcus Johnson then he should also be able to eventually get the ball to T.Y. Hilton, who should be able to get open against all of these corners. Johnson might be able to as well – his sub-4.4 speed can't be matched by the outside corner duo of Amani Oruwariye (62.1 PFF) and Jeff Okudah (30.1 PFF). Desmond Trufant (hamstring) might be back this week, though, and if he is it would probably be Okudah who heads to the bench. If Okudah were to head to the bench in that case it would leave Darryl Roberts (49.7 PFF), where he's vulnerable to Zach Pascal.

Upgrade: T.Y. Hilton, Zach Pascal, Marcus Johnson
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A

GB vs MIN

GREEN BAY WIDE RECEIVERS

The Vikings corners were already bad so it might not make a meaningful difference, but the Minnesota defense is battered at the position additionally, with Mike Hughes, Cameron Dantzler and Holton Hill all likely unavailable. The Vikings will have to roll with Jeff Gladney, Harrison Hand and, if available, Kris Boyd (hamstring/back). That's two rookies and a second-year practice squad type. The three of them are good athletes, but there's no evidence that their skill level is even close to what's necessary to contain Davante Adams. Against a crew like this, Marquez Valdes-Scantling should see viable opportunities as well.

Upgrade: Davante Adams, Marquez Valdes-Scantling
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A

MINNESOTA WIDE RECEIVERS

Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson have both dominated lately, so it's fair to wonder if the Packers will choose to shadow one of the two with elite corner Jaire Alexander or if they'll instead leave Alexander on one side of the field, assuming the Vikings will line up one of the two standout receivers on Alexander each play. If Alexander shadows someone then Thielen seems like the most likely candidate. If that occurs, then Jefferson would almost always have a favorable matchup as a result. Slot corner Chandon Sullivan (67.8 PFF) is good but Thielen and Jefferson should be able to avoid him, because Sullivan doesn't really leave the slot. In the event that Alexander is on Thielen and Sullivan away from Jefferson, then Jefferson would almost necessarily run against Josh Jackson (59.0 PFF), who might be better than King but is likely still bad.

Upgrade: Justin Jefferson (lower to 'even' if Alexander does not shadow Thielen)
Downgrade: Adam Thielen (raise to 'even' if Alexander does not shadow)
Even: N/A

CLE vs LV

CLEVELAND WIDE RECEIVERS

Rashard Higgins may well prove a good starter in the absence of Odell Beckham, and he'll get a good chance to prove it against a Vegas secondary that has struggled this year. Higgins should line up all over and therefore see a fairly even split between outside corners Trayvon Mullen (60.6 PFF) and Nevin Lawson (54.1 PFF). Higgins has the skill advantage over both, but Mullen matches Higgins' physical traits better than the 5-9 Lawson, so hopefully Higgins sees more of the latter. Higgins should also see a bit of slot corner Lamarcus Joyner (45.3 PFF), but that should more so be the matchup for Jarvis Landry. Donovan Peoples-Jones and Khadarel Hodge appear to be competing for the more downfield targets in this offense, and Peoples-Jones in particularly can hurt a corner like Lawson.

Upgrade: Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins, Donovan Peoples-Jones
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Khadarel Hodge

LAS VEGAS WIDE RECEIVERS

Henry Ruggs can torch almost any corner deep, but Denzel Ward (74.6 PFF) is not one of those corners. Luckily for the Raiders, the Browns have so far only kept Ward on the left side of the field, meaning Ruggs can likely avoid Ward if they just let Ruggs line up on the left side of the offense. From that spot he would instead likely see the coverage of Terrance Mitchell (61.0 PFF), who's terribly suited to running with a receiver like Ruggs. Mitchell can't run with Nelson Agholor, either, so Derek Carr should have a good matchup on the left side all game. Agholor, it should be noted, is likely to run more against Mitchell than Ruggs, because to this point Agholor has lined up more on the left side of the offense. Slot corner Kevin Johnson (55.3 PFF) is probably the second-best corner for the Browns, but not good enough to deter Hunter Renfrow or Ruggs on the applicable slot snaps.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Henry Ruggs, Nelson Agholor, Hunter Renfrow

KC vs NYJ

KANSAS CITY WIDE RECEIVERS

Brian Poole is a good corner in the slot, but he's the only non-awful Jets corner. Demarcus Robinson is worse as a receiver than any Jets corner is at their job, but until further notice it appears Andy Reid prefers him to the automatic production provided by Mecole Hardman to this point. Hardman would get open as a matter of certain fact, but we don't know whether Reid will give him the opportunity – even Byron Pringle played more snaps last week. Pringle is better than Robinson, but that's to say nothing at all.

Upgrade: Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Demarcus Robinson, Byron Pringle

JETS WIDE RECEIVERS

Braxton Berrios will run in the slot, where he should see a lot of Tyrann Mathieu, which is a tough matchup for Berrios. The former Miami product has shown some ability in the past, though, so he could make a dent in garbage time at the very least given the absences of Breshad Perriman and Jamison Crowder. Rookie Denzel Mims will need to take up most of the outside reps, where he'll mostly run against left corner Charvarius Ward (61.0 PFF). Ward doesn't have great PFF grades this year, but trait-wise he's a pretty tough assignment for Mims – like Mims, Ward is a tall player for his position and one with uncommon linear/vertical explosiveness. Mims should get targets, but his matchup isn't guaranteed to be any easier than Berrios' in the slot.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Braxton Berrios
Even: Denzel Mims

BAL vs PIT

BALTIMORE WIDE RECEIVERS

Marquise Brown should see all of the top three Pittsburgh corners, but he should especially run against the outside corners Steven Nelson (70.5 PFF) and Joe Haden (56.6 PFF) – probably Haden more than Nelson. Brown can beat them both – the more pressing issue is the Pittsburgh pass rush. Willie Snead should mostly run against Cam Sutton, while at left receiver an apparent rotation between Miles Boykin and Devin Duvernay should mostly face off with Nelson.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Marquise Brown, Devin Duvernay, Miles Boykin, Willie Snead

PITTSBURGH WIDE RECEIVERS

I would guess JuJu Smith-Schuster primarily runs against top corner Marlon Humphrey (79.7 PFF), by shadowing if necessary. If that's not the case, then I would still expect Humphrey to mostly see JuJu because of primarily playing the slot. In either case, Humphrey is unlikely to cover Diontae Johnson, who would mostly run against a hobbled Jimmy Smith (76.5 PFF), or if he's unavailable then apparently unknown prospect Khalil Dorsey, who looks more like a slot corner than a good outside option. Marcus Peters (46.8 PFF) will see Johnson some as well, but probably not as much as the right-side corner.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: JuJu Smith-Schuster
Even: Diontae Johnson (upgrade if no Jimmy Smith), Chase Claypool

CIN vs TEN

CINCINNATI WIDE RECEIVERS

Who knows whether the comically bad Cincinnati offensive line gives Joe Burrow a chance to throw the ball, but these Tennessee corners probably can't cover these Cincinnati receivers. Tyler Boyd gets seventh-round pick rookie Chris Jackson (29.9 PFF). Outside, Tee Higgins and A.J. Green should respectively face Johnathan Joseph (71.5 PFF) and Malcolm Butler (54.5 PFF) about 1.5 times as often as the other corner. Joseph has been generously graded by PFF, but I don't see it. Green may well have the easier matchup against Butler all the same.

Upgrade: Tyler Boyd, Tee Higgins, A.J. Green
Downgrade: N/A
Even: N/A

TENNESSEE WIDE RECEIVERS

It's not enough to call it a downgrade, but A.J. Brown should mostly run against standout right corner William Jackson (75.1 PFF). Corey Davis nonetheless has a much easier task in running the majority of his routes at the left corner, believed to be Darius Phillips, but he might need to sit out with injury and in that event would be replaced by LeShaun Sims. Both are below replacement level. Slot corner Mackensie Alexander (61.4 PFF) is probably at least average, so he should be able to hold serve against Adam Humphries.

Upgrade: Corey Davis
Downgrade: N/A
Even: A.J. Brown, Adam Humphries

MIA vs LAR

MIAMI WIDE RECEIVERS

DeVante Parker figures to draw the shadow coverage of Jalen Ramsey. Parker can still win those matchups – Parker is big (6-3, 209) with a big catch radius and rare speed for such a frame (4.45 40). It's a downgrade, but so was Parker's matchup with Stephon Gilmore last year, and Gilmore is still sore from that one. Preston Williams would nonetheless get a much easier matchup in this scenario, likely facing off against the talented but smallish Darious Williams (70.9 PFF), who at 5-10, 184 might have trouble boxing out the 6-4, 211-pound Preston. Darious can jump though (39-inch vertical), so Preston is far from a slam dunk in this matchup. Troy Hill (61.5 PFF) is the slot corner, and his grade is picking up in recent weeks after a rough start to the year. In his first season playing slot corner, it makes sense for Hill to improve over the course of the year, and he's probably a tough test for Isaiah Ford or whichever other receiver might run slot reps in this game.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: DeVante Parker
Even: Preston Williams, Isaiah Ford

RAMS WIDE RECEIVERS

Byron Jones (55.9 PFF) is a good corner and Xavien Howard (81.1 PFF) might yet be too on the other side, but their strengths probably have more to do with outside man-coverage scenarios rather than the often horizontal, flooded route concepts used by Sean McVay. Jones might be able to shut down Robert Woods if Woods played for a more typical offense, in other words, but covering the Rams receivers just isn't like covering receivers in normal offenses. With McVay's ability to set up Woods and Cooper Kupp for success, the personnel matchups just don't mean as much as in other cases. With that said, there's no doubt that Kupp has the easier matchup between the two by running against slot corner Nik Needham (41.5 PFF). Josh Reynolds could benefit from the same scheming dynamics as Woods, but his personal talent level projects as a disadvantage against corners like Jones and Howard.

Upgrade: Cooper Kupp
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Robert Woods, Josh Reynolds

BUF vs NE

BUFFALO WIDE RECEIVERS

Perhaps Stefon Diggs might see shadow coverage from Stephon Gilmore, but Gilmore at 31 is a lot different than Gilmore at 27. Diggs might be the better player at this point. If Gilmore shadows Diggs then it would leave J.C. Jackson to cover John Brown. Cole Beasley would run against Jonathan Jones in the slot. In each case the matchup is tough, but the Bills wideouts are probably good enough to hold serve.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Stefon Diggs, John Brown, Cole Beasley

NEW ENGLAND WIDE RECEIVERS

Not good! Julian Edelman is out, and the Patriots receivers were bad even with Edelman in the fold. Jakobi Meyers could step up in the slot, which is probably the easiest spot to attack the Buffalo corners, be it Cam Lewis or Taron Johnson at the position, but Meyers mostly played outside on the right last week, which is where Tre'Davious White would run in most cases. Damiere Byrd plays on the left, but it's not clear whether he'll see Tre'Davious White's shadow or instead line up against rookie seventh-round pick Dane Jackson (75.1 PFF), who played well in his first NFL game last week. Meyers seems most capable of contributing as a pass catcher, so the Bills might prefer to use White to shadow him despite Byrd being much faster. If Meyers is in the slot then that would leave Gunner Olszewski to run at outside receiver, but there's a chance Meyers stays outside and on the right like in Week 7, leaving Olszewski to play the slot. Unless Bill Belichick tells us all his plan, it's impossible to tell where this is going.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jakobi Meyers (raise to 'upgrade' if playing slot, downgrade if playing outside), Gunner Olszewski (raise to 'upgrade' if playing slot), Damiere Byrd

DEN vs LAC

DENVER WIDE RECEIVERS

Jerry Jeudy has been Denver's primary slot receiver, and on such reps he should run against Desmond King (74.6 PFF), who's probably one of the tougher potential matchups for Jeudy. Outside receiver Tim Patrick has a more plausible means of hurting the Chargers corners thanks to his 6-4 height, though that would mean more against smallish left corner Casey Hayward (60.0 PFF) than the tall and athletic right corner Michael Davis (68.6 PFF). KJ Hamler can run past either of them, especially Hayward, but it's not clear how Hamler's snap count might compare to ineffective incumbent DaeSean Hamilton. Patrick is dealing with a hamstring issue, so if he's out then both Hamler and Hamilton will need to play full-time.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Jerry Jeudy
Even: Tim Patrick, KJ Hamler

CHARGERS WIDE RECEIVERS

Keenan Allen versus Bryce Callahan (80.0 PFF) is one of the premier matchups on the slate Sunday, two of the best. Callahan is a very skilled and athletic corner despite a small build around 5-9 and under 190 pounds, so Allen's size advantage (6-3, 211) isn't a slam-dunk trump card. Mike Williams has preferable matchups against Michael Ojemudia (59.3 PFF) and A.J. Bouye (59.1 PFF), but even they are well-coached and have bigger frames than most corners. There's some strength versus strength going on here – Allen and Williams can both win their matchups, and downfield outside specialist Jalen Guyton can get open deep – but they'll need to actually play well, because the Broncos won't hand it to them.

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

CHI vs NO

CHICAGO WIDE RECEIVERS

If Allen Robinson (concussion) is out then the Bears have a ton of usage to replace, from a variety of looks. Robinson lines up everywhere, so his usage could conceivably be replaced by any combination of receivers. Slot specialist Anthony Miller is the most qualified of that group, so we might see him pick up a lot of any potential slack there, but rookie outside receiver Darnell Mooney is the clear second-best candidate. Outside corners Marshon Lattimore (48.6 PFF) and Janoris Jenkins (70.6 PFF) both have the traits to counter Mooney effectively, so it's asking the rookie a lot to win those matchups. Miller versus slot corner C.J. Gardner-Johnson (62.9 PFF) aka Chauncey Gardner-Johnson aka Ceedy Duce.

Upgrade: Anthony Miller
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Darnell Mooney

NEW ORLEANS WIDE RECEIVERS

Marquez Callaway curiously played the WR1 role for New Orleans last week, something the undrafted rookie didn't even do at Tennessee in college. It's probably not a role that suits him especially well – he was more of a sideline and downfield specialist as a WR2 for Tennessee – but he was good enough for the Saints to win against the Panthers (eight catches for 75 yards on 10 targets). Mostly outside and splitting his left/right snaps mostly evenly, Callaway should see a fairly even split of Kyle Fuller (75.0 PFF) and Jaylon Johnson (55.2 PFF). Tre'Quan Smith should have the leftover corner in two-wide sets, while in three-wide sets he should usually head to the slot, where the comparatively easy Buster Skrine (49.0 PFF). Deonte Harris only played 20 snaps last week, but we might expect him to usually be the second outside receiver opposite Callaway in three-wide sets.

Upgrade: Tre'Quan Smith
Downgrade: Marquez Callaway, Deonte Harris
Even: N/A

SEA vs SF

SEATTLE WIDE RECEIVERS

Jason Verrett and Emmanuel Moseley have both played well at outside corner for the 49ers, making almost meaningless the absence of Richard Sherman. Verrett and Moseley are both smallish corners, though, so even if they can run with DK Metcalf (no guarantee they can) then Metcalf can still overpower them at the catch point. Verrett and Moseley are good corners for countering a player like Tyler Lockett, on the other hand, but Lockett gets enough slot reps to hopefully evade both corners a decent amount and instead run against the beatable Jamar Taylor.

Upgrade: DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett
Downgrade: David Moore, Freddie Swain
Even: N/A

SAN FRANCISCO WIDE RECEIVERS

Deebo Samuel is out, so Brandon Aiyuk is clearly the top receiver for the 49ers in this one. The Seahawks have two good outside corners in Quinton Dunbar and Shaquill Griffin, but Griffin is out and the 49ers can simply line up Aiyuk away from Dunbar. Kendrick Bourne can probably get something going against the Seahawks' non-Dunbar corners, too, but it's less likely that Kyle Shanahan specifically tries to get him going than in the Aiyuk case.

Upgrade: Brandon Aiyuk
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Kendrick Bourne

PHI vs DAL

PHILADELPHIA WIDE RECEIVERS

Upgrade: Travis Fulgham, Jalen Reagor
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Greg Ward

DALLAS WIDE RECEIVERS

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup

NYG vs TB

GIANTS WIDE RECEIVERS

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Darius Slayton, Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate
Even: N/A

 
TAMPA BAY WIDE RECEIVERS

Upgrade: Scotty Miller, Tyler Johnson
Downgrade: Mike Evans
Even: N/A