Logan Ryan, cornerback, New England Patriots
Ryan has been so consistently good in his four years with New England that he might have priced himself out of the team’s market. The expectation here is that Ryan will receive north of $10 million on the open market. That makes sense considering he’s coming off a 2016 campaign that saw him record 92 tackles and 11 passes defended.
Ryan might not be a tremendous cover guy, but he makes up for it in other aspects of the game. He’s strong in run support and has been among the best pass-rushing corners in the NFL.
Top 10 pass rush corners per @PFF grades. Everyone [including me me] thinks Logan Ryan is just a tackler but this suggests differently. pic.twitter.com/gqbQJTulnH
— T͓̽o͓̽m͓̽ ͓̽K͓̽i͓̽s͓̽l͓̽i͓̽n͓̽g͓̽b͓̽u͓̽r͓̽y͓̽ (@TomKislingbury) February 17, 2017
It’s a role very few defenses rely on from their cornerbacks. That’s to say, most aren’t focused on sure tackling, an in-the-box presence and blitz capabilities. Though, one team that might very well look to add a player of that ilk are the Los Angeles Rams.
Top cover guy Trumaine Johnson signed his franchise tag tender on Monday. Adding someone of Ryan’s ilk to play opposite him would be an extremely good fit in Wade Phillips’ defense.
Prediction: Los Angeles Rams