Patriots coach Bill Belichick not concerned with naming top cornerback
New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick does not put much stock into the top cornerback role.
Some could argue that is evident, considering what has transpired with the last couple of top corners for the team. Belichick traded Stephon Gilmore to the Carolina Panthers last October. And J. C. Jackson left the team via free agency in March.
So New England is now looking for that top corner once again in training camp.
There are several potential candidates that could emerge and take on that role. Jalen Mills and Jonathan Jones are two names in particular that have been mentioned over the course of camp.
Nevertheless, Belichick does not seem too worried about assigning roles to certain players.
“I don’t know. I mean, defensively, you have who you have, and you play with who you play with,” Belichick told media members on Tuesday. “Number them however you want, it doesn’t make a difference to me. You got to put 11 guys out there and they got to play well together, whoever those 11 guys are. So, yeah, I don’t know. Number one, number two, number one tackle, number two corner, I’m not sure. I’m confused about that.”
New England may have some shuffling to do at the position, as the departures of Gilmore and Jackson have left sizable holes. The Patriots may go into the 2022 season without a top corner, and instead go with a committee approach.
Whatever the case may be, Belichick doesn’t seem too concerned with labels.
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