These free agents show why the Broncos’ cornerback quest might not begin with the draft

The “No-Fly Zone” is but a distant memory now. For so many years a strength, today’s Broncos’ cornerback corps is the most uncertain position group on the defense — and perhaps on the team as a whole.

This is why most mock drafts have the Broncos taking a cornerback with the No. 9 overall pick — either Alabama’s Patrick Surtain II or Virginia Tech’s Caleb Farley. Surtain has more experience against potential NFL wide receivers; Farley has a bit more versatility, length and raw speed, but could have some rust after opting out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns.

Surtain and Farley each have No. 1 cornerback capability. But asking either of them to be CB1 as a rookie is a stretch.

That’s where the free-agent market comes in, blessed with the deepest collection of available veteran cornerbacks in years. The release of Bouye added to that bounty, but after missing five games to injuries and another four to a suspension that he will complete to open the regular season, his market will be cooler than that of some others.

On the free-agent market, the Broncos can find an upgrade, more depth to supplement second-year cornerbacks Michael Ojemudia and Essang Bassey — or both.

Here are some of the names that could be on Denver’s radar when the new league year begins next month, starting with a big name who will attract attention, but might not be the best fit for Denver:

PATRICK PETERSON, ARIZONA

• EXPERIENCE: 11th year
• AGE AT START OF 2021 SEASON: 31
• PERCENTAGE OF SNAPS PLAYED (2020): 99%
• DURABILITY: Has never missed a game due to injury
• PASSER RATING ON TIMES TARGETED (2020): 98.2 (per SportRadar)
• MISSED-TACKLE PERCENTAGE (2020): 7.6%
• NOTES: It’s not official yet, but the Cardinals are expected to part ways with the 11-year veteran, even though he called the notion of a departure a “dirty rumor” during his podcast … Peterson would be intriguing because of his high-level experience, but his best play has come in man coverage; he struggled in zone coverage, most prominently in the 2018 season under then-head coach Steve Wilks. Wherever he ends up, don’t expect him to approach the All-Pro level that he reached three times before the age of 26 … Has had his two worst passer ratings allowed on times targeted in the last two seasons. Some team will give him big money betting on a bounce-back, but will that be a fool’s errand?

RICHARD SHERMAN, SAN FRANCISCO

• EXPERIENCE: 11th year
• AGE AT START OF 2021 SEASON: 33
• PERCENTAGE OF SNAPS PLAYED (2020): 32%
• DURABILITY: Missed a career-high 11 games in 2020 due to a calf injury. After not missing a game in the first six seasons of his career, he has missed 21 games in the past four seasons.
• PASSER RATING ON TIMES TARGETED (2020): 116.2
• MISSED-TACKLE PERCENTAGE (2020): 10.0%
• NOTES: A return to health should help Sherman return at least to the Pro Bowl form that he displayed in 2019, the second of three seasons he has spent with the 49ers … He told ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith that he wants to play two more seasons, then retire. But the key thing he said to Smith was that he wants to “get on a competitive team.” He jumped to the 49ers in 2018 after they went 6-10, but then had to endure a 4-12 campaign that year before their 2019 turnaround. Sherman’s proficiency in zone-based schemes could make him an ideal match for what Fangio demands. But would the Broncos fit his definition of a “competitive team” after four consecutive losing seasons?

XAVIER RHODES

• EXPERIENCE: 9th year
• AGE AT START OF 2021 SEASON: 31
• PERCENTAGE OF SNAPS PLAYED (2020): 87%
• DURABILITY: No concerns here; he played all 16 regular-season games in 2020, has never failed to play at least 13 games and has missed just three games in the past four seasons.
• PASSER RATING ON TIMES TARGETED (2020): 84.5
• MISSED-TACKLE PERCENTAGE (2020): 8.7%
• NOTES: A first-round pick of the Vikings in 2013, so Broncos general manager George Paton knows exactly what Rhodes can do … Earned three Pro Bowl nods and a first-team All-Pro selection in 2017 … Cut by the Vikings in the 2020 offseason … Enjoyed a nice bounce-back season playing on a one-year contract with the Colts following a 2019 campaign in which he allowed a career-worst 131.1 passer rating on 79 times he was targeted, according to the data compiled by Pro Football Focus … Broke up one of every 5.1 catchable passes thrown his way last year, the highest rate of his career … Isn’t as aggressive against the run as he was 3-to-5 years ago, but he will get involved … Rhodes played the 2020 season on a prove-it contract with a $3.25 million cap figure. The bet on himself paid off, and he should command a heftier price tag this year — although the Colts have enough room to easily re-sign him if they desire.

WILLIAM JACKSON III, CINCINNATI

• EXPERIENCE: 6th year
• AGE AT START OF 2021 SEASON: 27
• PERCENTAGE OF SNAPS PLAYED (2020): 84%
• DURABILITY: Since missing his rookie season due to a torn pectoral muscle, he’s played in 59 of a possible 64 games.
• PASSER RATING ON TIMES TARGETED (2020): 88.2 (per SportRadar)
• MISSED-TACKLE PERCENTAGE (2020): 8.2%
• NOTES: Overcame offseason shoulder surgery to have his best overall season as a pro … Good at making plays on the ball; his 41 passes defensed in the last four seasons rank 18th in the NFL in that span … His passer rating on times targeted has improved in each of the last three seasons, although his year-by-year figures don’t match the 36.1 he conceded in 2017, his first year on the field.

SHAQUIL GRIFFIN, SEATTLE

• EXPERIENCE: 5th year
• AGE AT START OF 2021 SEASON: 26
• PERCENTAGE OF SNAPS PLAYED (2020): 71%
• DURABILITY: Missed four games in 2020 due to a hamstring problem, but has missed just seven of a possible 64 regular-season games in his career to date.
• PASSER RATING ON TIMES TARGETED (2020): 93.3 (per SportRadar)
• MISSED-TACKLE PERCENTAGE (2020): 6.0%
• NOTES: Averaged one pass defensed per game last year, making him one of just 10 players to average at least 1 PD per game (minimum eight games played) … Griffin is proficient at making plays on the ball; his 48 passes defensed over the last four seasons rank 10th in the NFL in that span. But he also hast just six interceptions in those years; that is the fewest of any defender who has averaged at least 12.0 pass breakups per season.

CHIDOBE AWUZIE, DALLAS

• EXPERIENCE: 5th year
• AGE AT START OF 2021 SEASON: 26
• PERCENTAGE OF SNAPS PLAYED (2020): 41%
• DURABILITY: Missed a total of eight games in 2020 due to a hamstring injury and a stint on the COVID-19 reserve list.
• PASSER RATING ON TIMES TARGETED (2020): 103.5 (per SportRadar)
• MISSED-TACKLE PERCENTAGE (2020): 5.0%
• NOTES: Allowed a career-worst 15.8 yards per reception last year, according to the data compiled by Pro Football Focus … He wasn’t the same player after returning from the hamstring injury, leading to him losing his starting job in the final two weeks of the season. That collection of circumstances makes Awuzie a prime candidate for a one-year, “prove-it” contract — most preferably with a team that emphasizes zone concepts.

TROY HILL, LOS ANGELES RAMS

• EXPERIENCE: 7th year
• AGE AT START OF 2021 SEASON: 30
• PERCENTAGE OF SNAPS PLAYED (2020): 95%
• DURABILITY: Has missed just two games in the last three seasons and played in all 16 games last year.
• PASSER RATING ON TIMES TARGETED (2020): 89.8 (per SportRadar)
• MISSED-TACKLE PERCENTAGE (2020): 10.5%
• NOTES: Had a breakout year in terms of becoming an every-down cornerback with the Rams last season, breaking up 10 passes and posting two pick-sixes. He added a pass breakup in the playoffs … Primarily a boundary cornerback in his career who saw extensive slot action last season … The big question on Hill is this: How much of his success is due to cornerbacks around him, such as Jalen Ramsey? A team expecting him to be a CB1 might be disappointed, but as a CB2 with a strong No. 1 cornerback, Hill is up to the task.

DESMOND KING II, TENNESSEE

• EXPERIENCE: 5th year
• AGE AT START OF 2021 SEASON: 26
• PERCENTAGE OF SNAPS PLAYED (2020): 40% with Tennessee, 25% with the Chargers
• DURABILITY: Has missed just two games in his four-season career.
• PASSER RATING ON TIMES TARGETED (2020): 103.3 (per SportRadar)
• MISSED-TACKLE PERCENTAGE (2020): 6.8%
• NOTES: King fell hard after his first-team All-Pro campaign in 2018. By last November, the Chargers shipped him to the Titans for a sixth-round pick. He helped the Titans overcome an injury to Adoree’ Jackson, working primarily in the slot there, but Tennessee’s cap crunch could prevent the team from bringing him back. King would be a good scheme fit for the Broncos, but would come with some risk; he has allowed a passer rating of greater than 100.0 in three of his four seasons, per the data compiled by Pro Football Focus. Was his splendid 2018 season the career outlier?

MACKENSIE ALEXANDER, CINCINNATI

• EXPERIENCE: 6th year
• AGE AT START OF 2021 SEASON: 27
• PERCENTAGE OF SNAPS PLAYED (2020): 61%
• DURABILITY: Although Alexander has never missed more than three games in a single season, he has yet to play a full 16-game campaign.
• PASSER RATING ON TIMES TARGETED (2020): 82.3
• MISSED-TACKLE PERCENTAGE (2020): 13.0
• NOTES: Alexander is most comfortable in the slot, which could make things interesting if the Broncos want to use Callahan there. According to the data compiled by Pro Football Focus, Callahan allowed a 10.7 passer rating when he was targeted in the slot last year. That is easily the best figure in the league for anyone who lined up in the slot for at least 100 coverage snaps … Drafted by the Vikings in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft, so Paton has familiarity with Alexander’s work … Has allowed a passer rating of below the league average on times targeted in each of the last four seasons.

MIKE HILTON, PITTSBURGH

• EXPERIENCE: 5th year
• AGE AT START OF 2021 SEASON: 27
• PERCENTAGE OF SNAPS PLAYED (2020): 43%
• DURABILITY: Missed four games last year due to a shoulder injury, but prior that had played in all but one game during his first three NFL seasons.
• PASSER RATING ON TIMES TARGETED (2020): 60.2 (per SportRadar)
• MISSED-TACKLE PERCENTAGE (2020): 17.7%
• NOTES: A classic slot cornerback, the 5-foot-9, 184-pounder plays with tenacity and a quick twitch that allows him to compensate for his relatively small frame …. He’s also one of the NFL’s best blitzing cornerbacks, posting 9.5 sacks and 23 quarterback hits in his career, including 3.0 sacks last season … He

KEVIN KING, GREEN BAY

• EXPERIENCE: 5th year
• AGE AT START OF 2021 SEASON: 26
• PERCENTAGE OF SNAPS PLAYED (2020): 65%
• DURABILITY: Quadriceps, shoulder and hamstring injuries have limited him to 36 of a possible 64 games played over the last four seasons. He has missed at least five games in three of his four NFL seasons.
• PASSER RATING ON TIMES TARGETED (2020): 96.2 (per SportRadar)
• MISSED-TACKLE PERCENTAGE (2020): 17.4%
• NOTES: His most recent game with the Packers likely left a bitter taste in the mouth of Wisconsinites far and wide, as he surrendered two touchdowns against the Buccaneers, including the shocking 39-yard Tom Brady-to-Scotty Miller touchdown pass at the end of the first half that saw King allow Miller to get behind and outside him down the left sideline, providing the separation that Brady exploited with a pinpoint pass. Until that disastrous day, King had allowed just one touchdown all year, although he had surrendered an average of 9.61 yards per target. King needs a fresh start, and like Awuzie, could be a good fit on a one-year, “prove-it” contract for a team that plays zone.