This is another purely speculative look at a potential free-agent signing of a solid veteran cornerback to take over the right side of the Eagles’ secondary… I’m pretty secure in saying Nnamdi Asomugha is out of the picture… It would not be in the Eagles’ Gold Standard way of doing business to bring in Nnamdi at a huge guaranteed contract that would skew the future of negotiations with veterans like DJax and Trent Cole…or fuel the ego-anxieties of other players like Asante Samuel… So let’s look at the affordability issue of a top-15 NFL cornerback like Johnathan Joseph.
The Bengals took cornerbacks in the first round back-to-back years in 2006 and 2007, starting with Johnathan Joseph. He has developed into one of the better cover corners in the NFL and has nine interceptions the past two seasons. Joseph is now a free agent and appears ready to join a long list of solid Bengals draft picks who have bolted in free agency. The market for corners is starting at $10 million per season and Cincinnati doesn’t seem interested in going that high for Joseph.
Joseph is 27 and entering his prime. He is one of the best young coverage corners in the league and has good hands to create turnovers. It’s doubtful the Bengals would be willing to pay $8-$10 million per year to keep Joseph.
Ht: 5′ 11″ Wt: 190 Age: 27
Born: 4/16/1984, Rock Hill, SC
College: South Carolina
NFL Experience: 6th season
Drafted: 2006 – Rd 1
(24th overall by the Bengals)
The Bengals put the highest restricted tender on starting cornerback Johnathan Joseph back around March 1, 2011, less than 48 hours before his contract expired. But this move likely was for show.
Veteran AFC North beat writer for ESPN James Walker has seen every one of his pro games. He likes Joseph a lot…enough to put Joseph in his personal Top 10 List of NFL Cornerbacks:
Walker’s cornerback Power Rankings
1. Darrelle Revis, Jets
2. Nnamdi Asomugha, Raiders
3. Charles Woodson, Packers
4. Asante Samuel, Eagles
5. Champ Bailey, Broncos
6. Antoine Winfield, Vikings
7. DeAngelo Hall, Redskins
8. Courtland Finnegan, Titans
9. Devin McCourty, Patriots
10. Johnathan Joseph, Bengals
We have addressed the situation numerous times here with Bengals cornerback Johnathan Joseph… JB99 has been particularly high on him. Joseph has quietly been one of the top defenders in the AFC North and will likely get a huge payday, considering the going rate for cornerbacks. Unless Cincinnati is willing to pay at least $10 million per year to keep Joseph, I’d be surprised if he doesn’t hit the open market once normal NFL operations resume.
More from James Walker on the “quiet value” of Joseph for the Eagles:
“The AFC North didn’t register a single player in the ultimate top 10 of ESPN.com’s Cornerback Power Rankings. And after watching the inconsistent pass defenses throughout the division last season, this shouldn’t come as a surprise.”
Joseph
“Cornerbacks such as Ike Taylor of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Joe Haden of the Cleveland Browns didn’t get a single vote from our panel. Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Johnathan Joseph was the only player from the division to make the ballot. I voted Joseph No. 10 and AFC South blogger Paul Kuharsky voted him No. 7. Joseph finished No. 12 in the final ESPN tally. “
Joseph, a pending free agent, remains underrated. As you can see from this list, there are not a lot of elite cornerbacks in the NFL, and Joseph probably lands somewhere in the top of the second tier. If he plays for a higher-profile team next season like the Eagles and stays healthy, Joseph could get more recognition as one of the league’s better cover corners.
I looked up some stats and some scouting reports to learn more about Joseph, and here are some of the aggregates:
2010 12 games….42 Tackles…0 Sacks…8 Passes Defensed…3 INT…1 TD
2009 16 games… 69 Tackles…0 Sacks…20 Passes Defensed..6 INT.. 3 TD
2008 8 Games…42 Tackles…0 Sacks…13 Passes Defensed..1 INT…0 TD
2007 15 Games…62 Tackles..0 Sacks…15 Passes Defensed…4 INT..1 TD
2006 16 Games…45 Tackles..0 Sacks…20 Passes Defensed…0 INT..0 TD
After starting only seven games in 2008, Joseph had the best year of his career in the 2009 season. In Week 3, Joseph returned an interception from Ben Roethlisberger for a touchdown, en route to a 22-19 victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In late December 2009 Sports Illustrated writer Peter King called Joseph and Leon Hall “the best corner tandem in the NFL…..Joseph finished the season with career-highs in tackles with 69 and interceptions with 6. He also recorded one forced fumble, 20 pass break-ups and a touchdown.
After the season, USA Today named Joseph to their annual “All-Joe” team which recognizes quality players that don’t get their due.
Here’s his 2006 Scout.com pre-Draft evaluation:
| Scout.com Player Evaluation: | |||||||||
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| A Junior College transfer who possesses a lot of upside after declaring as a junior. Does well in run defense, and is physical in coverage with nice speed. Shows flashes of top-tier ability, but needs to develop considerably if he is to emerge as a shutdown corner. | |||||||||
Backpedal Quickness
Instincts
Here’s his updated Scouting Report by Evan Silva, Rotoworld.com and FanTrax.com ………..
“Johnathan Joseph, cornerback, 2011:
Scouting Report: “If Leon Hall is the Bengals’ shutdown corner, Joseph is an ideal aggressive, route-jumping bookend. A press cornerback at 5-foot-11, 192, Joseph has a knack for big plays, picking off 14 passes with three pick-sixes over the past four seasons, despite missing 13 games. Though Joseph has overcome chronic early-career foot injuries and a 2007 marijuana arrest, he went back on the shelf for four games last year with a cracked forearm and high ankle sprain. For all his talent, Joseph is not a “clean” player. He’s also coming off a disappointing year.”
Availability: “The Bengals deemed the $14.5 million cornerback franchise tag too rich for Joseph, giving him a potentially worthless first- and third-round restricted tender instead. As a five-year vet, it’s very likely that a new CBA would de-restrict Joseph’s free agency. Hall is the Bengals’ top corner and should be their priority to re-sign for big money. In the likely event Joseph hits the open market, he’ll be the No. 2 free agent corner after Nnamdi Asomugha.”
Prediction: “He ends up with the Lions on a four-year, $32.5 million contract.” “
Which brings us to here. Certainly Joseph has the skill and the experience to contribute to a winning run by the Eagles. He may not be “clean” in terms of past injuries and missed games… but he certainly would be a major upgrade over the Ellis Hobbs experience… and he would not necessarily break the bank or upset the players’ ego-balance of the current Eagles roster.
The one caveat to all this speculation: he may still re-sign with the Bengals.
One thing that may help the Bengals re-sign Johnathan Joseph is that available free agents include names like Nnamdi Asomugha, Antonio Cromartie, Chris Houston and Ike Taylor. Argue if you wish whether Joseph is better or worse than any of those names, but it helps that more quality cornerbacks are available when free agency starts. Other free agent cornerbacks include Phillip Buchanon, Chris Carr, Drayton Florence, Lito Sheppard, Fabian Washington and Brian Williams. The Bengals may look at that list and simply decide their best value for 2011 is to put the franchise tag on Joseph when regular rules of business prevail again…
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