Everyone agrees the Carolina Panthers need to add help at left tackle, edge and safety in the 2019 NFL draft, which begins tomorrow. One position that’s not getting enough attention is slot cornerback.
For the last two seasons, the team relied on veteran nickel corner Captain Munnerlyn to fill that role. He did not play particularly well either campaign though and was cut two months ago, saving the team a total of $7.5 million in cap room over the next two years. While Munnerlyn won’t be missed, they do have to find a replacement. If the Panthers were to kick off the season against the Rams today, Corn Elder or Rashaan Gaulden would play the slot, which is obviously not an ideal situation.
Picking a young prospect who can cover from the slot effectively and won’t cost the team much the next four years is the best possible solution, but there are other options.
According to Adam Schefter at ESPN, Broncos corner Chris Harris Jr. has requested a new contract or a trade.
General manager John Elway did a good job constructing the team around Peyton Manning that eventually won a Super Bowl. Since then, many of his decisions have been questionable and if he refuses to pay Harris, it would qualify as one of the worst.
Even though Harris is going to be 30 years old by the time the 2019 season starts, he is the best slot cornerback in the NFL by a long shot and the chances of Carolina finding a better one in the draft are laughable.
Since coming into the league in 2011, Harris has missed a grand total of five games. He’s played in 123, posting 19 interceptions, 80 pass breakups, 403 solo tackles and 22 tackles for a loss.
Harris is still going strong, too. Last season, Pro Football Focus ranked him as the No. 3 overall cornerback in the league.
Any team that trades for Harris is going to have to sign him to a lucrative deal, but if that scares Marty Hurney or other general managers then they don’t deserve to land a talent like that. Competing in the NFL is often an expensive proposition: players like Harris are worth the money because their abilities directly lead to winning more games.
Given the prevalence of three receiver sets, slot cornerbacks should be considered every bit as valuable as outside corners. For whatever reason, a number of teams still don’t seem to get it. If the Panthers can exploit that and add a difference-maker like Harris at a critical position of need, it may be their most significant defensive move this offseason.
No harm could come from a phone call.
