Halfway decent cornerbacks are usually difficult to find on the free agent market. 2011 could be an exception.
The release of Stanford Routt on Thursday adds to an already deep group. Routt isn’t a Pro Bowler, but he’s been a decent starter at times in his career. Those guys usually get paid.
Routt wouldn’t crack my top five-cornerbacks slated for the open market. Cortland Finnegan, Brent Grimes, Brandon Carr, Tracy Porter, and Carlos Rogers are all attractive options.
The first three names above are so attractive that they may get stuck with the franchise tag. After those five names, guys like Routt, Terrell Thomas, Eric Wright, and Aaron Ross figure to attract significant interest.
Most of these players won’t be game-changers. But they are all reasonably young, can start games, and would ugprade plenty of rosters.
With the new television money on the horizon, plenty of players that aren’t household names will get big dollars.
