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You can never have too many cornerbacks. This was the rationale of the New York Giants front office this offseason when it invested a sizable contract to Janoris Jenkins and used a first round selection on Eli Apple. With those two paired up with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, the cornerback group in 2016 projects to be a strength. Pro Football Focus believes they are the ninth-best group in the league.
9. New York Giants
Top CBs: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Janoris Jenkins, Eli Apple
Key stat: At Ohio State, Apple allowed just 44.6 percent of passes into his coverage to be completed (2015 season).
The Giants have invested heavily to upgrade at cornerback this season, spending big on Janoris Jenkins’ breakout campaign in St. Louis and using a top-10 pick to nab Eli Apple during the draft. As second and third corners, Jenkins and Apple will sit behind Rodgers-Cromartie, who finished among the top-20-graded CBs in coverage for the third straight season.
Despite all these resources poured into their cornerbacks, Pro Football Focus does not have the Giants as a top five unit. That honor belongs to another team within the NFC East: the Washington Redskins.
3. Washington Redskins
Top CBs: Josh Norman, Bashaud Breeland, Quinton Dunbar
Key stat: Norman (with Carolina) allowed 50 yards in a game just once in 2015.
Even before the acquisition of Norman, this was a cornerback corps on the rise. Breeland had a breakout campaign in 2015, allowing 50 yards or more only three times after Washington’s Week 8 bye. Dunbar, an undrafted free agent and wide-receiver conversion, showed his potential in the wildcard defeat to Green Bay by breaking up two passes and allowing only 41 yards on seven receptions.
Finishing off the NFC East, the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles finish 27th and 29th overall, respectively.