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Will the NFC West be the first division to pass for over 20,000 yards next season?* It’s not only that Matthew Stafford, Russell Wilson, Kyler Murray, and maybe-not Jimmy Garoppolo will be the divisions four quarterbacks, but receiving tandems include Robert Woods-Cooper Kupp, Deebo Samuel-Brandon Aiyuk, DK Metcalf-Tyler Lockett, and DeAndre Hopkins-bodybag.
Not forgetting George Kittle or the fact that Sean McVay is now running two NFC West offenses (almost as many as Mike Shanahan) and it’s easy to see the value of having a cornerback like Jalen Ramsey signed through 2026.
Most of the other NFC West cornerbacks aren’t signed through March.
*not checked for accuracy — if you’re inclined, you can report me to the pro-football-reference authorities
The Los Angeles Rams could lose Troy Hill, second on the defense in snaps in 2020, and Darious Williams is a restricted free agent. It is likely that Williams returns but the Rams favored Hill on the field more often than him and they may still need a starting caliber outside cornerback. Maybe.
The San Francisco 49ers don’t have a cornerback under contract for 2021. Richard Sherman, Jason Verrett, Jamar Taylor, Ahkello Witherspoon, and Dontae Johnson are free agents. Emmanuel Moseley is a restricted free agent.
The Seattle Seahawks are set to potentially lose two starting corners, Shaquill Griffin and Quinton Dunbar, while former starter Tre Flowers is an obvious cap casualty candidate.
The Arizona Cardinals could finally part ways with free agent Patrick Peterson, while Dre Kirkpatrick and Johnathan Joseph are also set to hit the market. Byron Murphy, a second round pick in 2019, has struggled a lot in his career and Robert Alford is an obvious cap casualty candidate.
The only starting cornerback under contract next year in the entire NFC West appears to be Jalen Ramsey.
The free agent market appears to be quite shallow outside of these players. That is until some releases are made, however given the dearth of quality cornerbacks, it is unlikely that many of these players who hit the market will be highly desirable. Names like Stephon Gilmore, Casey Hayward, Desmond Trufant, Chris Harris, Kyle Fuller could be available, but many of the big names will be the ones potentially leaving the NFC West.