New England Patriots: Expectations for Alfonzo Dennard

The New England Patriots decided to scoop up Alfonzo Dennard in the seventh round of the 2012 NFL Draft, ending the talented Nebraska cornerback’s fall that stemmed from an incident in which he punched a police officer just a couple of months before the draft. It was an isolated but inexcusable incident of violence on Dennard’s part, but it seemed to be a blessing in disguise for him as a rookie.

Thanks to major issues at the cornerback position, Dennard got his first taste of NFL action following his suspension, and he put in an incredibly impressive shift for a rookie against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in Week 5. He defended two passes and allowed no catches on five targets, per Pro Football Focus, sticking to everyone he covered, whether it was Eric Decker or even veteran tight end Jacob Tamme.

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Dennard’s immediately effective play, physicality, and versatility made him a welcome addition to a Patriots secondary that was forced to play Kyle Arrington out of position on the outside, and the results were predictably disastrous. The mid-season trade for Aqib Talib that allowed Devin McCourty to shift to free safety, Arrington to move into the slot, and Dennard to comfortably be a No. 2 corner turned the Patriots secondary into a solid unit.

Although he took his lumps as a rookie by allowing five touchdowns and getting burned a tad too often, Dennard had a very successful rookie season. Per PFF, he allowed a QB Rating under 80, a catch rate of exactly 50%, and he showed some playmaking ability by snagging three interceptions.

Expectations were understandably high for Dennard, as he headed into the 2013 season as the team’s No. 2 corner with Talib taking on the opposition’s top receiver and Arrington slotting inside.

It wasn’t smooth sailing for Dennard, but he still held up relatively well as a sophomore and managed to allow less touchdowns and a lower QB Rating with one more pass defended (eight in total). Of course, his most memorable performance came in the divisional round of the playoffs against Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts, as he picked off two passes and allowed just two catches on ten targets.

Unfortunately, the Broncos weren’t afraid to pick on Dennard, as Manning sent it in his direction ten times, completing seven of those attempts for 100 yards and a TD into Dennard’s coverage. To be fair, Dennard’s struggles weren’t his fault, because he was put in an unfair position after Talib’s injury, as he was forced to cover Demaryius Thomas, and the size disadvantage was simply too much to overcome.

Of course, the Patriots need outside corners now, and Dennard’s stature and lack of long speed could hurt him as an option (though based on how he played in his first two seasons, he can play on the outside as long as the team has a big corner like Talib to cover those big wideouts).

While Alfonzo Dennard wasn’t the best at stopping opponents from generating big plays, he had enough positive performances in his second season to make it seem like he did indeed have a place in this league as a future starter at the position. At the very least, he looked like a  good No. 3 or great 4 option at the position, but he was about to receive a demotion on the depth chart after the Patriots aggressively assembled an elite secondary by adding Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner.

Even so, Dennard looked like an amazing depth option, and I don’t think anybody could have expected him imploding in coverage last season. In 2014, he was a liability in the most basic sense, and he failed to make a positive impact in any of his six appearances. Whether he was injured, benched, or both is unclear, but the Patriots didn’t seem interested in letting him see the field, as he received just 241 snaps last season, per PFF.

After allowing QB Ratings below 80 in his first two seasons, Dennard was a whipping boy when the New England Patriots did get him involved, as he allowed a QB Rating of 111.2. Dennard’s catch rate allowed ballooned to 68.2% while his yards per reception allowed stayed between 14 and 15, and that’s clearly not a recipe for statistical success.

With Browner and Revis gone, the Patriots are thin at the cornerback position, and while they are almost guaranteed to draft a CB high this year, it still looks like Dennard could be called upon as a starter among of a mix of CBs that includes Bradley Fletcher, Robert McClain, Logan Ryan, Malcolm Butler, and Arrington.

However, the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin writes that since Dennard would have just a $14,000 cap hit if released, the Patriots could easily choose to cut him this offseason if he doesn’t justify his $1.59 million salary.

Obviously $1.6 million isn’t much, but the Patriots look to cut costs anywhere possible, because, as we saw this offseason, it’s hard to navigate the cap if you are a Super Bowl contender. While there aren’t any sure-fire starting options at the position, the Patriots figure to draft someone, and, more importantly, there are a lot of veteran bodies looking to stick around; Dennard could easily be the odd-man out.

Aug 22, 2014; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Alfonzo Dennard (37) during the second quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

Last season’s benching/injury and shipment to the injured reserve was a bizarre story, especially since Dennard was viewed as starting material just a year or two earlier and seemed to be rising in stock.

Now, Dennard’s time with the Patriots is at a crossroads, and while, as Volin reports, he’s hard at work this offseason to make sure he isn’t axed, there’s no guarantee that he sticks around.

Whether it was a nagging injury or something else at play that led to Dennard’s struggles, benching, and IR placement, it’s clear to me that he’s shown that he has the talent to be a quality cornerback in this league.

Even though he could be cut this offseason in the final year of his rookie deal, he could also just as easily impress the Patriots and re-establish himself as a starter in a secondary that is desperate for someone to assert themselves as a dependable option on the outside.

We’ll see if Dennard can be that guy, because there’s plenty of reason to believe that what happened to him last season won’t be repeated in 2015.In fact, I think his struggles last season were mostly due to circumstance, and I would be surprised if he isn’t at least an average No. 2 corner in the future.

Nothing is guaranteed and he most likely won’t play at a truly high level, but I will be disappointed if he doesn’t return to his previously decent.

Next: Would the Pats take Melvin Gordon?

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