NEWSLETTER
Teams are making moves as free agency is here. Unrestricted free agents hit the NFL market on March 15, 2023, at 4 p.m. eastern. There are plenty of defensive backs that can provide value in secondaries around the league. Here are a few of the top NFL free agent CB for the 2023 offseason.
Jamel Dean
Dean has dealt with some injuries but has been solid for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at cornerback. He was a third-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and has gone on to play in 57 games with the Bucs over four seasons. He had two interceptions and eight passes defended during 2022. Also, he added 57 tackles on the year.
James Bradberry
Bradberry had a good year that included 19 forced incompletions for the Eagles during the 2022 season playing in the secondary with CJ Gardner-Johnson. He is remembered, at the moment, for holding in the Super Bowl as the Philadelphia Eagles lost to the Chiefs on a last-second field goal.
That shouldn’t be held against him after a strong season that found him on the All-Pro second team as he recorded three interceptions and 17 passes defended.
Cameron Sutton
Sutton has played in 84 games for the Pittsburgh Steelers while being a primary starter for the past two seasons. He started 15 games in 2022 and had three interceptions and 15 passes defended on the year. He also had 43 tackles and is falling on lists of publications ranking top 10 defensive backs for free agency.
Jonathan Jones
Jones had a strong first half of the season for the New England Patriots. Overall, he finished the 2022 season with 69 tackles, 11 passes defended, and four interceptions. He started 16 games after playing in just six games during the 2021 season. Jones has played 101 games in his career and all for the Patriots.
Patrick Peterson
He might be in his 30s but he’s still got it. Peterson had one of the strongest coverage seasons of his career. He intercepted 6.9% of the passes thrown by quarterbacks in his direction. The three-time All-Pro had five interceptions on the year. He added 66 tackles and 15 passes defended in his second year for the Minnesota Vikings.
Rock Ya-Sin
Ya-Sin spent the 2022 season with the Las Vegas Raiders after three seasons with the Colts. He played in 11 games and had 45 tackles and seven passes defended. During the 2023 season, he will be 27 years old as he looks to start more than 10 games. He hasn’t hit that number as a starter since his rookie season.
Byron Murphy Jr.
Murphy ended his season on injured reserve and played in only nine games during the 2022 season. He had 36 tackles and four passes defended for the Arizona Cardinals. He’s only 25 years old and will draw interest despite injuries.
More 2023 NFL Free Agent Cornerbacks
Bradley Roby, Marcus Peters, Anthony Brown, and Bobby McCain are also cornerbacks that will hit NFL free agency in 2023. Peters is 30 years old and a two-time All-Pro selection. He missed the entire 2021 season due to a torn ACL and started 13 games for the Ravens in the 2022 NFL season.
Roby will hit the open market after he played 13 games for the New Orleans Saints and registered 36 tackles on the year. Bobby McCain will hit the market after he had 76 tackles for the Washington Commanders in 16 starts. He’ll turn 30 years old in the 2023 season. His career-high four interceptions came during the 2021 season.
Top NFL Free Agent CB FAQs
There is a solid list of cornerbacks available in 2023 NFL free agency. Notable free agent CB include Jamel Dean, Jonathan Jones, James Bradberry, and Cameron Sutton.
An unrestricted free agent is allowed to negotiate and sign with any team in the league during free agency. To become a free agent, a player must have at least four years of experience and an expiring contract.
Players are set to hit free agency at 4 p.m. eastern time on March 15, 2023. There is a legal tampering period that begins on March 13. Teams are allowed to contact the certified agents of players to start working on deals.
