Plenty of debate has been going on over who the best cornerback in the NFL is the past couple of days. With Seattle’s Richard Sherman and Cleveland’s Joe Haden each getting massive contract extensions, it looks like Patrick Peterson is next in line for such a deal.
If the Cardinals are going to pay Peterson a lot of money to play, it only makes sense that the team would want to protect their investment. The first step in doing so according to the Arizona Central is to remove the cornerback from punt returns and lining up at the receiver position.
Entering his fourth NFL season, Peterson will concentrate solely on his role as a shut-down cornerback, merely the second-hardest job in the NFL. And after a subpar season by his standards, a singularly-focused, well-rested Peterson can take the defense to another level.
“I know there’s less of a chance of him getting hurt without everyone chasing after him (on punt returns),” Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles said. “That makes me happy.”
Such a move definitely makes sense for Arizona. Why risk Peterson getting hurt in situations where he doesn’t need to be on the field?
Playing solely the cornerback position will allow Peterson to prove his belief that he is worth more than Richard Sherman. It will be interesting to see how much the Cardinals do eventually give their star corner.