Corner Report: Week 6

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.
 

JAC vs DET

JACKSONVILLE WIDE RECEIVERS

If DJ Chark (ankle) is out then it would open up lots of snaps on the outside and mostly on the left, snaps that would likely go mostly to Chris Conley. Laviksa Shenault is generally the other outside receiver, and on the right a little more than the left. The slot receiver is Keelan Cole.

Detroit might be without Desmond Trufant, in which case the Lions might use Amani Oruwariye (62.6 PFF) at right corner and Jeff Okudah (27.6 PFF) at left corner. Oruwariye's PFF coverage grade is low, but he's a big and toolsy corner whose skills seem to be coming around, and in whatever case he's tougher in coverage than Okudah to this point. Both Oruwariye and Okudah are big corners, so build-wise they are reasonable counters to Chark, Laviska Shenault and Chris Conley, though in the case of Conley it's unlikely they can keep up with him for more than 20 yards or so. Chark's snaps occur on the left a little more than the right, so he or/and Conley might see more of Oruwariye and Shenault a little more of Okudah. Darryl Roberts (61.7 PFF) is the slot corner and should primarily see Cole, and to a lesser extent Shenault.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: DJ Chark, Laviska Shenault, Keelan Cole, Chris Conley

DETROIT WIDE RECEIVERS

Kenny Golladay might draw shadow coverage from CJ Henderson (65.3 PFF), which is at once a test for Golladay but also one he should pass. At 6-4 with low 4.5 speed, Golladay is a tough target to stop even if the coverage is tight. If Henderson shadows Golladay then Marvin Jones would almost necessarily be left against Tre Herndon (46.3 PFF) when outside. Jones should also see the slot a handful of times, where Sidney Jones (92.5 PFF) played very well in Week 5. Jones should more so be a problem for Danny Amendola, though.

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

NE vs DEN

NEW ENGLAND WIDE RECEIVERS

Julian Edelman should primarily see the slot coverage of Bryce Callahan (72.2 PFF), one of the league's better slot corners. Callahan might also see some of N'Keal Harry in two-wide sets, as Callahan plays left corner in the base formation. Good as Callahan is, at 5-9 and less than 190 pounds he's not built to lock horns with a 6-2, 230-pound wideout like Harry. De'Vante Bausby (76.4 PFF) should sub in at left corner in three-wide sets and has more height than Callahan at 6-1, but Bausby is about 50 pounds lighter than Harry and doesn't have the speed otherwise to match Damiere Byrd downfield. Byrd should see more of right corner Michael Ojemudia (53.9 PFF), a big and toolsy rookie corner but one whose strengths might largely go to waste against a 5-9 receiver with sub-4.3 speed like Byrd.

Upgrade: N'Keal Harry
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Julian Edelman, Damiere Byrd

DENVER WIDE RECEIVERS

Jerry Jeudy mostly runs from the slot and should therefore primarily run against Jonathan Jones (52.8 PFF), who's having a down year but played well in the past. Of course, the Patriots could elect to use Stephon Gilmore (62.9 PFF) to shadow Jeudy, but they could also choose to more so use him to follow Noah Fant. The corner matchup specifically doesn't look so bad if it's Jones rather than Gilmore, but Belichick is well aware of Jeudy and will probably have some accommodation in mind. Tim Patrick and DaeSean Hamilton should both play outside receiver, seeing some combination of Gilmore or/and J.C. Jackson (80.2 PFF).

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick, DaeSean Hamilton
Even: N/A

CAR vs CHI

CAROLINA WIDE RECEIVERS

WR1 Robby Anderson and D.J. Moore get a tough pair of outside corners this week in Kyle Fuller (77.1 PFF) and Jaylon Johnson (54.7 PFF), though Johnson's grade has obviously slipped in recent weeks. This is a strength versus a strength – Fuller and Johnson both match the Panthers receivers fairly well trait-wise, so the question of who wins might come down to tedious, unforeseeable details. Curtis Samuel runs in the slot and gets a comparatively easy matchup with Buster Skrine (54.5 PFF).

Upgrade: Curtis Samuel
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Robby Anderson, D.J. Moore

CHICAGO WIDE RECEIVERS

Allen Robinson might draw the shadow coverage of Rasul Douglas (69.4 PFF) when outside, but despite Douglas' strong PFF grade that's probably a matchup where Robinson has the advantage. When in the slot Robinson should see some combination of rover Jeremy Chinn (54.5 PFF) or slot corner Corn Elder (76.5 PFF), who might be benefiting from some clever scheming by defensive coordinator Phil Snow. Elder should more so see Anthony Miller, while some combination of Donte Jackson or/and Eli Apple will play the outside corner snaps opposite Douglas.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Anthony Miller
Even: Allen Robinson, Darnell Mooney

PIT vs CLE

PITTSBURGH WIDE RECEIVERS

The Steelers seemed to take some of JuJu Smith-Schuster's slot snaps last week and gave them to Chase Claypool, resulting in JuJu playing more often outside than usual. We'll see how he does at a newish position, but the early returns were to the benefit of Claypool. The Browns had an upgrade in the slot with the return of Kevin Johnson (72.3 PFF), giving them a fairly well-rounded top three at corner. Denzel Ward (72.4 PFF) is borderline elite on the left side and Terrance Mitchell (61.6 PFF) has been serviceable on the right, though he's struggled a bit more lately. Diontae Johnson and to a lesser extent James Washington should mostly run against Ward and Mitchell.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: N/A
Even: JuJu Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, James Washington

CLEVELAND WIDE RECEIVERS

Odell Beckham will hopefully pass his remaining COVID test, allowing him to play in this one and hopefully neutralizing any lingering fears about the Browns situation generally. The matchup here is not great, though, not so much because of the corners – only two or three corners league-wide can actually cover Beckham – but because the Pittsburgh pass rush is so vicious and Baker Mayfield so unconvincing even in ideal conditions. Jarvis Landry is subjected to the same deal – he can probably get open here and there, but who knows whether Mayfield (A) sees him, (B) has a throwing lane, or (C) makes a good throw even if the first two conditions are satisfied.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade:N/A
Even: Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry

MIN vs ATL

MINNESOTA WIDE RECEIVERS

Adam Thielen mostly lines up outside this year, a little more often on the right while Justin Jefferson lines up a little more often on the left. Chad Beebe is useless but they prefer to waste their slot snaps on him for some bizarre reason. The Falcons cornerback rotation is unsettled, as last week they debuted longtime outside corner Isaiah Oliver (54.7 PFF) in the slot, so if that remains the case he'll be the one covering Beebe. Thielen and Jefferson would split their reps against A.J. Terrell (62.5 PFF) and Kendall Sheffield (42.1 PFF), two toolsy corners but ones ill-prepared for receivers as good as Jefferson and especially Thielen.

Upgrade: Adam Thielen, Justin Jefferson
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Chad Beebe

ATLANTA WIDE RECEIVERS

Julio Jones has no injury designation – hopefully that's not just Dirk Koetter being silly – but if Julio is back then there's not much these Vikings corners can do to stop him. Cam Dantzler (53.2 PFF) is probably the right corner and Jeff Gladney (54.1 PFF) the left in two-wides and the slot corner in three-wide sets. That means Gladney should be the primary assignment of slot receiver Russell Gage, while Mike Hughes (58.0 PFF) takes up the left corner spot in three-wide sets. Calvin Ridley will likely see the most of Hughes but will pose a danger to Dantzler when they see each other.

Upgrade: Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Russell Gage

PHI vs BAL

PHILADELPHIA WIDE RECEIVERS

The Eagles moved Travis Fulgham around a good amount last week to excellent effect, but they won't have that option here if the Ravens choose to shadow him with Marlon Humphrey (77.0 PFF), who might be the best corner in the league. Fulgham's volume projection helps offset the concern, but the CB-WR matchup clearly isn't in his favor if he draws Humphrey. Greg Ward is the slot receiver when Fulgham isn't, and it'd probably be a waste to use Humphrey on him but it could happen – he'd have basically no hope in that scenario. If you're invested in Ward then you want Humphrey to follow Fulgham. John Hightower doesn't appear capable of threatening anyone at the moment.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Travis Fulgham (raise to 'even' if no Humphrey shadow), Greg Ward, John Hightower
Even: N/A

BALTIMORE WIDE RECEIVERS

Marquise Brown figures to draw the shadow coverage of Darius Slay (70.4 PFF), which is a bit of a concern if only for funnel effect reasons. Brown can probably beat Slay, but can he get open against Slay as easily as Mark Andrews or even the wideout troupe of Miles Boykin, Willie Snead and Devin Duvernay? It's not a given, but Brown can win that one.

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

TEN vs HOU

TENNESSEE WIDE RECEIVERS

A.J. Brown might draw the shadow coverage of Bradley Roby (68.2 PFF), which is slightly concerning not so much because Roby is likely to shut down Brown, but because the rest of Houston's corners are so bad that Ryan Tannehill has pretty good reason to just throw it to whoever isn't on Roby. Roby is a good but not great corner, though, so if Tannehill looks to Brown there should be opportunities. Adam Humphries is back and will draw the slot coverage, which has seen a rotating cast for Houston this year. If Roby is shadowing Brown then it can't be Roby who covers Humphries, so it leaves either Eric Murray (60.2 PFF) or Vernon Hargreaves (45.1 PFF) – last week it was Murray. Either is probably an upgrade for Humphries. Kalif Raymond can burn whoever the other outside corner is, just keep in mind that his diminutive build threatens to limit his snaps to sub packages rather than base playcalls.

Upgrade: Adam Humphries, Kalif Raymond
Downgrade: N/A
Even: A.J. Brown

HOUSTON WIDE RECEIVERS

Left corner Johnathan Joseph (66.3 PFF) is doing a reasonably good job and right corner Malcolm Butler (55.9 PFF) continues to make memorably big plays, but it's not clear whether either are well suited to covering the likes of Will Fuller and a hopefully repaired Brandin Cooks. Butler just doesn't have much in the way of speed and might need assistance from safety Kevin Byard, while Joseph at 36.5 isn't the burner he used to be. Fuller plays a little more on the left and Cooks a little more on the right, so Fuller should see a little more of Butler and Cooks a little more of Joseph. Randall Cobb should mostly run against rookie seventh-round pick Chris Jackson (29.5 PFF), who probably would prefer an easier assignment.

Upgrade: Will Fuller, Randall Cobb
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Brandin Cooks

IND vs CIN

INDIANAPOLIS WIDE RECEIVERS

Perhaps T.Y. Hilton can still get open, but there's not much reason to think Philip Rivers can throw the ball to him even if so. That point renders somewhat moot the consideration of Hilton's cornerback matchup, because it feels wrong to call it an 'upgrade' if the quarterback can't complete the pass. Hilton should in any case see a relatively even split of William Jackson (74.0 PFF) and Darius Phillips (58.0 PFF). He can beat either of them, but Phillips is the much more vulnerable target. Zach Pascal should see a fair amount of both outside corners as well, but he probably can't beat Jackson most of the time and as Indianapolis' slot receiver Pascal draws the competent coverage of Mackensie Alexander (65.9 PFF). This could be an uptempo game conducive to usage, but it's hard to see this as an efficient setting for Hilton and especially Pascal.

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

CINCINNATI WIDE RECEIVERS

Tee Higgins and A.J. Green draw an interesting if not concerning matchup here, where they'll likely run against a rejuvenated Xavier Rhodes (79.7 PFF) – perhaps the ideal type of corner for defending unusually big targets like Higgins and Green – and Rock Ya-Sin (55.7 PFF) is probably decent on the other side. Higgins tends to line up on the right slightly more often than the left, so he should see a little more of the more favorable Ya-Sin while Green carries a bit more of the burden presented by Rhodes' coverage. Slot corner Kenny Moore (57.9 PFF) is good, but probably not a downgrade for Tyler Boyd.

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

NYG vs WAS

GIANTS WIDE RECEIVERS

After lighting up Dallas last week, Darius Slayton probably gets a tougher draw here against Washington corners that, while still beatable, have at least some ability to hold serve. Playing outside and on the left a little more than the right, he should split his reps between Kendall Fuller (86.2 PFF) and to a lesser extent Ronald Darby (70.0 PFF). It's a tough assignment for Slayton. Golden Tate should more so run against slot coverage from Kamren Curl (63.5 PFF).

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Darius Slayton
Even: Golden Tate

WASHINGTON WIDE RECEIVERS

Terry McLaurin is a beast but might find a challenge in the shadow coverage of James Bradberry (87.3 PFF), who's been one of the league's very best corners so far this year. Dontrelle Inman gets a comparatively easy matchup against Ryan Lewis (50.0 PFF), but it's not clear whether Inman has the ability to capitalize there. Slot receiver Isaiah Wright should mostly see Darnay Holmes (42.6 PFF).

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Terry McLaurin
Even: Dontrelle Inman, Isaiah Wright

MIA vs NYJ

MIAMI WIDE RECEIVERS

DeVante Parker and Preston Williams are both humming outside, where they run almost exclusively while Mike Gesicki and Isaiah Ford play the slot. Parker and Williams play with even left/right splits, so they should see roughly equal amount of time between the two outside Jets corners, Blessuan Austin (35.8 PFF) and Pierre Desir (45.3 PFF). Not only are Williams and Parker too good for these Jets corners, but the Jets defense unintentionally funnels usage toward them because slot corner Brian Poole is very good and deters targets from the slot.

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

JETS WIDE RECEIVERS

Jamison Crowder is a beast in the slot, where he conveniently might run against Noah Igbinoghene or Nik Needham, both of them underdogs against Crowder. Jeff Smith and Breshad Perriman will run outside against the comparatively tough Byron Jones and Xavien Howard.

Upgrade: Jamison Crowder
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Jeff Smith, Breshad Perriman

TB vs GB

TAMPA BAY WIDE RECEIVERS

Jaire Alexander (90.8 PFF) is a beast but doesn't really go into the slot, so Chris Godwin should be able to avoid him. If Mike Evans can play then he'd probably see the most of Alexander, but at 6-5, 230 Evans can make catches even if Alexander glues onto him. And while Godwin should avoid Alexander, he will have to run against the formidable Chandon Sullivan (66.6 PFF). Kevin King (58.7 PFF) is a weak corner who can't cover Scotty Miller, but Miller might miss the game with injury. King might be able to hold his own against Justin Watson, by some contrast.

Upgrade: Scotty Miller (downgrade if Evans is inactive)
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Chris Godwin, Mike Evans

GREEN BAY WIDE RECEIVERS

Davante Adams is back and would normally see the shadow coverage of Carlton Davis (63.1 PFF), whose grade is lower than it should be, but Davis might be out with an abdomen issue. The Buccaneers might then elect to use one of Jamel Dean (83.6 PFF) or slot corner Sean Murphy-Bunting (57.5 PFF) to shadow Adams, but it's not clear whether they will. Green Bay would be smart to line up Adams away from those two in that case. Dean would normally shut down a receiver like Marquez Valdes-Scantling, but if Dean is on Adams and Murphy-Bunting is in the slot then Valdes-Scantling could get a more favorable matchup like Ross Cockrell or Ryan Smith. The slot receiver in any case might be Equanimeous St. Brown, who would presumably run against Murphy-Bunting the most.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Marquez Valdes-Scantling (unless Dean shadows Adams)
Even: Davante Adams, Equanimeous St. Brown

SF vs LAR

SAN FRANCISCO WIDE RECEIVERS

The Rams may or may not attempt to shadow Deebo Samuel with Jalen Ramsey (73.8 PFF), but we can otherwise expect Samuel to line up a little more on the right than the left, where Brandon Aiyuk should run more often than on the right. Darious Williams (73.6 PFF) waits for whichever one Ramsey doesn't cover, and Williams is the real deal. It's a tough spot for the 49ers wideouts, who might need to move to the slot to find some space. Troy Hill (57.1 PFF) has struggled there, though Kendrick Bourne would normally see him more than Samuel or Aiyuk.

Upgrade: N/A
Downgrade: Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk
Even: Kendrick Bourne

RAMS WIDE RECEIVERS

The 49ers might get Emmanuel Moseley (68.2 PFF) back at outside corner this week, where he'd be an upgrade over Ahkello Witherspoon (45.7 PFF). Jason Verrett (60.9 PFF) looks like the other outside corner, with Jamar Taylor (30.1 PFF) vulnerable at slot corner.

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

BUF vs KC

BUFFALO WIDE RECEIVERS

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

KANSAS CITY WIDE RECEIVERS

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

DAL vs ARI

DALLAS WIDE RECEIVERS

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

ARIZONA WIDE RECEIVERS

Upgrade: DeAndre Hopkins, Christian Kirk
Downgrade: N/A
Even: Larry Fitzgerald