The NFL's Best Cornerbacks in Every Type of Coverage

Coverages may change through eras of pro football, but the need for great cornerbacks who can lock things down in those coverages? Well, that's an obvious constant standard. And in today's NFL, where coverage concepts are more complex and varied than ever before, those cornerbacks are tested to bring more to the table than they ever have.

Based on tape study and the metrics of Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions, here are the best cornerbacks in all major coverages we see in the NFL today.

Cover-0: La'Jarius Sneed, Tennessee Titans

Now that he's a member of the Tennessee Titans after the Kansas City Chiefs traded him away, L'Jarius Sneed will no doubt want to continue his professional journey as the NFL's most aggressive press cornerback. While a lot of cornerbacks prefer to match and carry receivers from the line of scrimmage, Sneed wants to physically dominate the man to which he's assigned in a very old-school sense.

Overall for the Super Bowl champs last season, Sneed allowed 53 completions on 103 targets for 545 yards, 216 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, two interceptions, 16 pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 66.0.

There are some excellent arguments to make that Sneed was among the league's best cornerbacks in 2023, and his work in Cover-0 (man coverage across with no deep safety help) is a solid one.

Sneed was nearly impossible to deal with in Cover-0, giving up three catches on 10 targets for 19 yards, one touchdown (a missed tackle against San Francisco 49ers receiver Jauan Jennings in Super Bowl LVIII), one interception, and an opponent passer rating of 33.3. Sneed's determination to force every receiver into boxing matches they don't want? That's a primary attribute here.

Cover-1: DaRon Bland, Dallas Cowboys

DaRon Bland might be the NFL's premier boom-or-bust cornerback. Last season, he set the NFL record with five interceptions returned for touchdowns, and he had nine picks overall. But the 2022 fifth-round pick out of Fresno State also showed his inexperience at times, getting beaten for big plays.

Still, Bland also showed a lot of improvement over his rookie season, when he had five picks, but also allowed four touchdowns, and gave up an opponent passer rating of 86.5 when targeted. In 2023, Bland allowed 52 catches on 93 targets for 730 yards, 278 yards after the catch, three touchdowns to those nine interceptions, 15 pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 52.6.

And he was perhaps the league's best cornerback in Cover-1 -- man coverage with a single-high safety. Then, he allowed 14 catches on 32 targets for 164 yards, one touchdown, four of his interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 30.7. Opposing quarterbacks had an EPA per target of -0.84 when focusing on Bland when the Cowboys played Cover-1 last season, and whether you're into advanced metrics or not, the math tells you that Bland in that coverage was really, really good. It's where Bland's ability to match downfield in off coverage really shows up.

Cover-2: A.J. Terrell, Atlanta Falcons

The 2023 Atlanta Falcons played a ton of press coverage, and no cornerback in the NFL last season played more snaps of press than A.J. Terrell's 413. In order to play that much press and get away with it, the cornerback in question must have an ideal combination of athleticism and aggression. Terrell certainly qualifies in both departments, and his work in Cover-2 showed it.

Overall last season, Terrell gave up 44 catches on 76 targets for 508 yards, 165 yards after the catch, four touchdowns, no interceptions, 12 pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 95.7.

Turning a few of those breakups into interceptions would improve Terrell's numbers, but he didn't need help when he was in Cover-2 -- zone coverage with two deep safeties. Then, he allowed five catches on nine targets for 20 yards, no touchdowns, and an opponent passer rating of 60.9. With safety help up top, Terrell can be even more brazen when it comes to denying good receivers right out of their breaks.

Cover-2 Man: Taron Johnson, Buffalo Bills

2-Man coverage -- man coverage across with two safeties up top -- is a great strategy if you have the players to do it. And if you're

What makes Johnson so good in man coverage is that he can run the route with the receiver from press coverage at the line of scrimmage, through anything angular and vertical downfield. Add into that the ability to play from the slot, when cornerbacks no longer have the boundary to help them keep those receivers at bay. and Johnson's work is even more impressive.

Overall, Johnson allowed 62 receptions on 81 targets for 518 yards, 296 yards after the catch, three touchdowns, no interceptions, seven pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 104.9. But in 2-Man coverage, Johnson was an enforcer, allowing mo catches on six targets with two pass breakups.

Cover-3: Rasul Douglas, Buffalo Bills

Speaking of Bills cornerbacks, there's Rasul Douglas, who the Green Bay Packers let go in a trade at the end of the 2023 deadline. Douglas did all he could to hold Buffalo's pass defense together once he came on board, and he was especially solid in Cover-3 -- zone coverage with a single high safety.

Whether with the Packers or the Bills last season, Douglas was targeted 21 times in Cover-3. He allowed 13 catches for 136 yards, one touchdown, four interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 56.9. Give Douglas a full season in a defense that best fits his attributes, and who knows how good he could be -- in all types of coverages?

Cover-4: Darious Williams, Los Angeles Rams

An undrafted free agent out of UAB, Darious Williams caught on with the Los Angeles Rams in 2018. By 2020, he was an interception machine, and one of the best underrated cornerbacks in the NFL. That got Williams a three-year, $30 million contract in 2022 that was terminated in March of this year. The Rams swept right back in, giving Williams a new three-year, $22.5 million deal with $15 million guaranteed.

The Jaguars certainly didn't let Williams go based on his performance. Last season, he allowed 56 catches on 81 targets for 613 yards, 178 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, four interceptions, 15 pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 69.6. Williams was even better in Cover-4, in which four defenders each take responsibility for a quarter of the field. In those coverages, Williams allowed four catches on 16 targets for 109 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, four pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 29.4.

Good news for the Rams, who played Quarters on 20% of their defensive snaps last season -- the ninth-highest rate in the NFL.

Cover-6: Jaylon Johnson, Chicago Bears

Speaking of underrated cornerbacks, Jaylon Johnson of the Chicago Bears might have been the NFL's best cornerback you didn't hear enough about in 2023. Unless you're a big fan of the Monsters of the Midway, Johnson may have escaped your notice, but that shouldn't be the case. Overall last season, Johnson allowed 25 receptions on 50 targets for 195 yards, 115 yards after the catch, one touchdown, four interceptions, 10 pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 33.3. Which means that Mr. Quarterback was generally better off throwing the ball into Section 225 of the stadium than anywhere near Johnson.

That excellence extended to Johnson's work in Cover-6 -- Cover-2 to one side, and Cover-4 to the other. Johnson was targeted just twice in Cover-6 out of 21 coverage snaps, and the only reception he allowed was the interception he had against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 12 -- an amazing athletic play on a Josh Dobbs pass to Jordan Addison.

Red Zone: Pat Surtain II, Denver Broncos

If you want a cornerback capable of coming up big when it matters most, look to those situations in which the opposing offense is knocking on the door of the end zone. Red zone coverages are more compressed than they are in other areas of the field, and any mistake, no matter how small, can lead to obvious disaster.

Pat Surtain II of the Broncos, who some in the league consider to be the NFL's best at his position, had an up-and-down season overall (56 catches on 89 targets for 701 yards, 212 yards after the catch, three touchdowns, one interception, 12 pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 93.9), but in the red zone, he was nails all season. There, Surtain allowed no completions on five Goal Line and Red 2 targets, and even against top receivers like Davante Adams of the Las Vegas Raiders, Surtain used his massive wingspan and excellent recovery speed to ensure that nothing bad happened on his watch.

Related: Chicago Bears star Jaylon Johnson issues stern warning for USC QB Caleb Williams

Related: Report: Chiefs Are Trading CB L'Jarius Sneed

Related: 2021 NFL Draft Profile: Patrick Surtain II