With NFL free agency contract negotiation window opening March 9 at noon ET, CBS Sports is providing a position-by-position look at the free agent landscape. The free-agency cornerback pool can be a risky one to wade into. The drop-offs can often be stark and sudden as players approach their 30s, and there are plenty of examples of big-ticket items not working out. Still, there are several interesting options for cornerback-needy teams this offseason.
Top five free agent cornerbacks
2025 team: Buccaneers
2025 stats: 46 tackles, 3 interceptions, 9 passes defensed, 5.3 yards per attempt allowed as primary defender, PFF’s No. 5 cornerback
Age: 29
Jamel Dean put forward a tremendous 2025, any way you look at it. He allowed just a 42% completion percentage, third-lowest of 79 cornerbacks who were the primary defender on at least 50 passes. He also allowed just one touchdown, and his 34.4 passer rating allowed was best in the NFL. Teams will have to determine if that’s the rule or the exception with Dean; this was by far his best year, but he’s had plenty of good ones. He turns 30 in October and has had some injury issues of late, leaving several games early.
2025 team: Chiefs
2025 stats: 64 tackles, 2 interceptions, 6 passes defensed, 6.9 yards per attempt allowed as primary defender, PFF’s No. 17 cornerback
Age: 27
Jaylen Watson is the latest cornerback draft success from the Chiefs, as the 2022 seventh-rounder became one of the NFL’s better cornerbacks. He demonstrated steady, impressive improvement, and his willingness and ability to contribute as a tackler and blitzer are key to his effectiveness. Watson allowed just a 46.6 passer rating, third-lowest of 79 cornerbacks who were the primary defender on at least 50 passes.
2025 team: Seahawks
2025 stats: 41 tackles, 1 interception, 12 passes defensed, 4.6 yards per attempt allowed as primary defender, PFF’s No. 66 cornerback
Age: 26
If you could create a cornerback, he’d look and run like Riq Woolen. Standing 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds with a 4.26 40-yard dash, Woolen burst onto the scene with six interceptions as a rookie in 2022, but he hasn’t been quite as good since. Some of the numbers, like the 4.6 yards per attempt allowed (third-lowest of 79 cornerbacks who were the primary defender on at least 50 passes) are really encouraging. Others, like his PFF ranking, aren’t. Woolen would fit best in a defense that just lets him go out and play freely as a physical, on-the-line-of-scrimmage cornerback. He has all the talent in the world.
2025 team: Jaguars
2025 stats: 51 tackles, 2 interceptions, 12 passes defensed, 5.1 yards per attempt allowed as primary defender, PFF’s No. 26 cornerback
Age: 26
This is likely a high-end evaluation of Montaric Brown, a former seventh-round pick who made a massive 2025 leap. Is he the player he was in his first three years or the one he was in 2025? Last year, he allowed just a 47.9% completion rate and 5.1 yards per attempt, both 12th out of 79 cornerbacks who were the primary defender on at least 50 passes.
2025 team: Saints
2025 stats: 83 tackles, 2 interceptions, 11 passes defensed, 6.4 yards per attempt allowed as primary defender, PFF’s No. 52 cornerback
Age: 27
Alontae Taylor had a better 2025 under defensive coordinator Brandon Staley after not performing as well in 2023 or 2024. A dogged defender who can play inside and outside, Taylor is a dogged defender and allowed just 9.6 yards per completion, 11th out of 79 cornerbacks who were the primary defender on at least 50 passes. He’s liable to give up the deep ball, and he allowed eight touchdowns, but his versatility and competitiveness speak to a player who should find a nice payday coming his way.
Two more to watch
2025 team: Steelers
2025 stats: 10 tackles, 1 interception, 1 pass defensed (played three games)
Age: 26
Asante Samuel Jr. only appeared in a few games for the Steelers after having spine surgery in 2024, but there’s little doubt he emerges as an interesting name to follow this offseason. He looked decent in his short time with Pittsburgh and was 21st in PFF’s rankings in his last full season (2023). Samuel is an active, aggressive cornerback who made six interceptions and 35 passes defensed in his first three years in the league.
2025 team: Raiders
2025 stats: 53 tackles, 5 passes defensed, 4.8 yards per attempt allowed as primary defender, PFF’s No. 20 cornerback
Age: 26
A 2021 first-round pick of the Packers, Eric Stokes was one of the few things that went right for the Raiders in 2025. He allowed just 4.8 yards per attempt and 9.3 yards per completion, both ninth out of 79 cornerbacks who were the primary defender on at least 50 passes. He also allowed just three completions of 20+ yards. Stokes has only one career interception in 63 games (including postseason), so the lack of ball production is a factor. Still, at his age and considering he had a strong season in his last new home, he should garner significant interest. It likely won’t be a massive deal, but if he can show 2025 was legit, he could be a steal.
Five teams to watchIf there’s one team that could add a corner as a big piece of the championship puzzle, it’s the Rams. Los Angeles invested heavy draft capital in the front seven, but infusing the secondary with a talented cornerback would be a boon for the reigning NFC runners-up.The Packers could look to dip their toe into the free agent pool again after their splash last year — Nate Hobbs — didn’t produce as hoped. Green Bay forced just 14 turnovers last year, tied for fourth-fewest in the league.Expect the Titans, with new coach Robert Saleh in tow, to continue to overhaul their defense, and that could include cornerback.The Commanders need upgrades across their defense, and cornerback is no exception.The Seahawks have not only Woolen but also Josh Jobe hitting free agency this offseason. The Super Bowl champs could look to at least make a strong push to keep Jobe, but if they can’t, cornerback will be high on the priority list.One major questionWhich late bloomers/reclamation projects can succeed?
Cornerback can be a tricky position to evaluate, because it relies on so many other things. Cornerbacks can look better behind a good pass rush, or alongside linebackers and safeties who carry out their coverage at a high level. They can also look better when they play bad quarterbacks or pass catchers. Sometimes, their numbers look good — but their actual play looks bad — when a quarterback misses or simply doesn’t see an open target. Plus, coverages are so convoluted that “primary defender” might be a misnomer. It’s easy to see when a player wins a one-on-one matchup. It’s harder to tell in zone coverage or disguises.
Long story short, it’s an up-and-down business. Even the very best players get beat. Even great coverage can be beaten. Even poor coverage can survive.
So we can look at flashes, like Woolen’s rookie year, or Stokes’ unlikely late bloom. There are lots of others like that. Former first-round pick Greg Newsome II had a stronger start to his career than his recent play. Nahshon Wright came out of nowhere to post five interceptions for the Bears last year. Jobe played well for the Seahawks. Can Samuel get back to where he was pre-injury? What about Joshua Williams, who missed almost all of 2025? All of these players are in their 20s and come with big questions. But big seasons from these under-the-radar veterans happen more often than one would think, and they can make huge differences.