12. Dallas Cowboys: DaRon Bland & Trevon Diggs
At their best, this Dallas Cowboys cornerback duo should easily be in the top 10, but we don’t know what we’re getting from DaRon Bland and Trevon Diggs this year. Especially with Diggs and his injury issues. Both of these guys have proven they can make a lot of plays on the ball, but they’ve also proven they are “feast or famine” types of players at corner. They’ll take the ball away a lot, but they’ll also give up a lot of yards. Regardless of their volatility, the Cowboys desperately need them both to be healthy.
11. New Orleans Saints: Alontae Taylor & Kool-Aid McKinstry
Regardless of what people say about the New Orleans Saints’ roster right now, you can’t really argue that they don’t have some outstanding players in the secondary. Alontae Taylor has been an absolute football magnet in his time with the team, breaking up 30 passes over the last two seasons. Kool-Aid McKinstry had a really promising rookie year with six passes broken up and a completion percentage allowed into his coverage of just 54.8 percent. This duo has the potential to be elite going forward.
10. Kansas City Chiefs: Trent McDuffie & Kristian Fulton
The Kansas City Chiefs moved on from L’Jarius Sneed last year and that predictably didn’t go great. Trent McDuffie continues to be one of the best overall cornerbacks in the game, and Kansas City is hopeful that Kristian Fulton can pick up where he left off with the Chargers last year. Fulton has struggled to stay healthy, but he showed some good things in 15 games played for the Chargers last year despite allowing five touchdowns. He’s a good risk-reward option for Steve Spagnuolo, even if Trent McDuffie is still carrying most of the weight at that position.
9. Chicago Bears: Jaylon Johnson & Tyrique Stevenson
The Chicago Bears might have the most underrated defensive back group in the league, and if they start having more team success, I think you’ll hear a lot more about the duo of Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson. Stevenson was a second-round pick in 2023 and looks like one of the best players from that crop. He has six interceptions in his first two NFL seasons and showed improvement last season overall. Johnson is well-established as one of the best in the league and has been selected to back-to-back Pro Bowls.