3 Under the Radar Redskins Targets - Cornerback

It’s no secret the Washington Redskins need help at cornerback. Even before jettisoning free-agent disappointment Josh Norman, the Redskins needed reinforcements at cornerback. Fortunately for Washington, free agency could be the place to improve a beleaguered unit.

We’ve discussed James Bradberry as a potential target, as well as possible reunions with Bashaud Breeland and Kendall Fuller. And there is also Byron Jones of the Dallas Cowboys, considered by some the top cornerback available this offseason.

Bradberry has a connection to new head Ron Rivera, having played four years for him in Carolina, Bradley Roby of the Houston Texans was a free agent until Sunday afternoon.  A former first-round pick of the Denver Broncos, Roby played last season in Houston where he had his best season as a pro. Roby’s defensive coordinator in Denver happened to Jack Del Rio, who is now the defensive coordinator in Washington.

But what if the Redskins don’t plan on paying top-dollar to some of the top free agents at the position?

Well, they picked an ideal year.

The cornerback class in free agency in 2020 is a good one. Outside of the aforementioned names, some of which will start at the top of the market, while others will land considerably strong deals, there are cheaper options for the Redskins if they wanted to go that route.

Let’s take a look at three under-the-radar cornerbacks Washington could sign to bolster its defensive backfield.

Brian Poole

Brian Poole is entering his fifth season in the NFL in 2020. An undrafted free agent out of Florida back in 2016, Poole played his first three seasons with the Atlanta Falcons.

As a rookie, Poole played in all 16 games, making nine starts for the Falcons. He flourished in his role as a nickel corner, making 59 tackles and recorded one interception. Poole also started for the Falcons during that playoff run which culminated with a Super Bowl loss to the Patriots, where Poole had four tackles.

In his next two years with Atlanta, Poole played in 15 games and 16 games respectively. The Falcons, who are always battling salary cap issues it seems, chose to let Poole walk. He signed a one-year deal with the New York Jets where he played in 14 games and picked off one pass.

Poole wouldn’t require a huge investment for the Redskins and they would get a good player who is experienced in the slot. Poole is a strong tackler and would easily upgrade the Redskins at a position that has been weak for the last two years.

Poole posted a coverage grade of 80.0, per PFF, in 2019, which was his best season as a pro. Poole also allowed just 7.4 yards per reception, too.

Kevin Johnson

Kevin Johnson was a first-round selection back in 2015 by the Houston Texans. After a standout collegiate career at Wake Forest, big things were expected from Johnson. However, as a rookie, he found himself behind veterans Kareem Jackson and Johnathan Joseph on the depth chart. A.J. Bouye competed against Johnson for Houston’s No. 3 corner role.

Johnson had a strong rookie season for the Texans, playing in all 16 games, recording 54 tackles and one interception.

Throughout the next three years with Houston, Johnson battled injuries, missing 10 games in 2016 and 15 games in 2018. While the Texans chose to pick up his fifth-year option in April 2018, they chose to release him before the new league year began last March.

That led to Johnson singing to a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills. Johnson played in all 16 games for the Bills, making one start. He finished the season with 36 tackles and five passes defended. According to PFF, Johnson was the No. 23 corner in the NFL last season, recording a respectable coverage grade of 73.6.

Johnson, at 27, still possesses upside as a starting NFL cornerback. Is he going to be the Pro Bowl player that some projected when he came into the league? Maybe not, however, the Redskins could get him on a respectable short-term deal allowing them to spend more of their cap space on positions like tight end, safety, linebacker or offensive tackle.

The Bills signing of Josh Norman probably means Johnson isn’t coming back. He will be a value for some team in 2020.

Mackensie Alexander

Mackensie Alexander looked like a future star during his final season at Clemson back in 2015. He entered the 2015 NFL Draft and was a second-round selection of the Minnesota Vikings. Unfortunately for Alexander, he went to a team with young corners ahead of him in Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes.

While playing behind those players prevented him from being in the starting lineup early in his career, Alexander managed to find ways to get on the field. During his four years in Minnesota, Alexander played in a total of 55 out of a possible 64 games. He became a bigger contributor in his final two seasons with the Vikings, starting a total of 10 games.

In 2018, Alexander recorded 43 tackles, four sacks and 10 passes defended. In 2019, he had 38 tackles, one interception and five passes defended.

At just 26, Alexander is the prime age for a free agent. Much like Poole, Alexander would likely be covering the slot for the Redskins. Per PFF, Alexander has played 81 percent of his snaps from the slot during his career, allowing a total of just three touchdowns.

Alexander has surgery on his meniscus back in January but was recently cleared for football activities, just in time for free agency.

Per Spotrac, Alexander’s projected contract for 2020 could be a three-year deal worth $25.2M, for an average annual value of $8.4M. Those are reasonable numbers for a reliable player at a prime age.

Regardless of which direction the Redskins choose to go, they will have plenty of strong options to shore up one of the league’s worst secondaries. 

Bryan Manning has covered the NFL, MLB, NBA, college football and college basketball for almost 10 years for various outlets such as Bleacher Report, SB Nation, FanSided, USA Today SMG, and others. Bryan has covered the Washington Redskins for different outlets and currently co-hosts a podcast on the Virginia Tech Hokies for SB Nation. For his day job, Bryan works in engineering for a major communications company.