Interesting how Zac at the official site twice goes out of his way to put ‘Cutch atop Bodden in the battle for the starting cornerback job opposite Gary Baxter.
Bodden is
- “certainly a key player on the Browns’ defense even if he doesn’t technically win a starting job.”
- “not likely to start in the base defense if Baxter and McCutcheon are healthy”
Note sure if that’s just some editorializing, or if it’s a reflection of the coaches’ perspective. I would prefer to keep it an open competition in order to bring out the best in each of these very good players.
From where I sit, if Bodden wins, ‘Cutch would save a bit of a wear-and-tear by covering slot receivers in nickel situations. He could also be freed up to provide run support on the edge and serve as a blitz option.
However, if ‘Cutch starts, Bodden ought to resume his outsized role on special teams, especially as gunner extraordinaire on the punt coverage unit.
In either case, CB is one of the few positions of definite strength on this team, so while this jockeying for position may be interesting, it is probably less consequential than the battles at safety, inside linebacker, the second WR spot, and backup RB
