3 million is a lot to pay a backup CB who doesn’t play special teams. Plus, the Patriots have exposed some promising DBs to waivers the last couple of years and lost a couple of them. With Rowe and J. McCourty being free agents after the season, I’d keep the best of the two and keep the best two of Crossen, Jackson, AJ Moore along with J. Jones if he’s ready when the season starts or C. Jones as a PR which is where there were heading when he got hurt last preseason.
The Patriots defense did give up 161 yards on 27 carries in the Super Bowl. But, half those yards came on two runs: the Blount touchdown and the long Ajayi run. The Eagles running game was not the deciding factor in the game. The telling statistic was: 12-18. The Eagles converted on 2/3 of their 3rd or 4th down plays. And, not to beat a dead horse, but many of those conversions especially in the 2nd half were converted by attacking the matchup of a Strong Safety covering a quality WR even on obvious passing downs and the total mismatch of a 5’10” 195 lbs free safety trying to cover an athletic 6’4” 250 TE.
The Pats have often kept "$3M veterans" on the roster as backups in "young" units - as insurance. It didn't turn out to be beneficial with David Harris last season, but it has in the past.
Cy Jones (ACL) has had a full rookie season in 2016, and then 2017 Camp (before his injury) to establish himself as a viable PR or STer or DB, and hasn't really done much to accomplish that. He hasn't been back on the field yet this Camp, and his time is probably running out (if it hasn't already). At this point, I'd say he's the least likely to make the 53-man roster (although possibly the Psquad), but I'd be pleasantly surprised if he's a "tough cut" by the end of Camp.
Right now, and until JJ (foot injury) gets back on the field and shows what he has, it seems likely that Gilmore, Dawson and Rowe would be the top-3. Assuming that JJ is close to where he was at the end of 2017, that leaves ...
JMac (9 years experience)
Crossen (rookie)
Lewis (1-yr Psquad)
Wiltz (1-yr Psquad)
JC Jackson (rookie)
... competing for the fifth and final CB spot.
Injuries, perhaps for extended periods, are pretty much a certainty with the CB unit (especially with Rowe, it seems). Whoever is chosed for that fifth spot will be integral to the injury contingency plan. Last year, the Pats had JJ (1-yr active roster experience), and Bademosi (5-yrs active roster experience and about 300 snaps at CB, including 3 starts). JMac is the only candidate for the fifth spot who offers any live-fire NFL experience whatsoever.
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When the DL is a sieve, a legitimate threat to run tends to make everyone else on the defense hesitate, including pass-rushers and mmbers of the secondary. The RPO was specifically designed to create and exploit that hesitation.
When that run-D deficient defense also has lmited personnel at LB capable of both coverage and run-D, it's only logical to compensate by using predominantly safeties in the secondary to help out against the run.
In the Superbowl, Foles and the Eagles coaches used their RPO run threat perfectly against a defense that simply didn't have the personnel anywhere on the roster who were capable of dealing with it effectively. There were no substitutions or adjustments available that would have made any difference.
This is the very last time I'll be addressing the subject. I'm on to 2018.
