- CB DJ Turner II, Cincinnati Bengals: Turner is the NFL’s best pass-defending cornerback.
- CB Devon Witherspoon, Seattle Seahawks: Witherspoon is the NFL’s best all-around perimeter cornerback.
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Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Identifying advantageous and disadvantageous cornerback matchups is a critical facet of fantasy football’s lineup-setting process. Elite NFL perimeter cornerbacks can alter opposing No. 1 wide receiver outlooks to a surprising degree. Some dissuade quarterbacks from targeting their primary coverage. Others specialize in preventing receptions, while others still function as all-around elite NFL defenders. The article below breaks down the 2025 NFL season’s top-four perimeter cornerbacks.
CB DJ Turner II, Cincinnati Bengals
Turner broke out in his third season, as the NFL’s premier incompletion forcer, and is his team’s lone defensive bright spot. Turner, 25 years old, earned a 73.3 PFF defense grade and a 78.1 PFF coverage grade this year, and he is the only player among Bengals defenders with at least 500 defensive snaps to earn at least a 69.0 PFF defense grade and/or a 67.7 PFF coverage grade.
Low targeted rates and low receptions allowed sums sometimes yield high catch rates due to small reception sample volatility. This is not the case for Turner, who impressively maintains a top-five catch rate allowed by forcing incompletions at a league-best frequency while also dissuading quarterbacks from targeting his coverage.
Turner’s coverage data among 70 NFL cornerbacks with at least 375 coverage snaps.
| NFL CB Coverage | DJ Turner II |
| PFF Coverage Grade | 78.1 (No. 6) |
| Targeted Rate | 11.2% (No. 9) |
| Open-Target Rate | 30.6% (No. 8) |
| Catch Rate Allowed | 46.8% (No. 4) |
| Forced Incompletions | 16 (T-No. 4) |
| Forced Incompletion Rate | 25.8% (No. 1) |
| Yards Allowed Per Coverage Snap | 0.76 (T-No. 11) |
| Explosive Pass Plays Allowed | 12 (T-No. 32) |
| Explosive Pass Plays Allowed Rate | 2.2% (T-No. 30) |
Despite regularly being tasked with covering the opponent’s No. 1 wide receiver, Turner forced incompletions at a 28.6% rate on third down, ranking ninth among 63 NFL cornerbacks with at least 115 third-down coverage snaps.
Turner makes a case for being the NFL’s best coverage defender.
CB Devon Witherspoon, Seattle Seahawks
Witherspoon earns a 90.1 PFF defense grade, 90.1 PFF run-defense grade, 92.9 PFF pass-rush grade and an 83.6 PFF coverage grade this season despite transitioning from the slot-heavy role he occupied in 2023 and 2024 to a perimeter-heavy role. All four PFF grades are career bests among his three NFL seasons. Among 71 NFL cornerbacks with at least 600 defensive snaps, Witherspoon ranks and/or ties for first in the two former categories, ranks third in run defense and second in coverage. He is the NFL’s best all-around perimeter cornerback.
Witherspoon, 25, plays very well in all defensive facets.
Among 31 NFL cornerbacks with at least 65 total tackles, Witherspoon’s 7.6% missed tackle rate ranked seventh. Among 29 NFL cornerbacks with at least 65 total tackles in the regular season, Witherspoon’s 30 stops ranked third.
Among 30 NFL cornerbacks with at least 10 pass-rush snaps, Witherspoon’s 14.8% pass-rush win rate ranked third, and his 48.1% quarterback pressure rate ranked first.
Among Seahawks defenders, Witherspoon’s 85 total tackles ranked fourth, 13 quarterback pressures and 1.5 NFL sacks rank and/or tie for 10th.
Among 33 NFL cornerbacks with at least 525 coverage snaps, Witherspoon experienced the second-fewest drops and/or off-target incompletions thrown into primary coverage (nine). Despite this, he ranked 22nd in forced incompleteion rate (11.5%), and he ranked and/or tied for 18th in explosive pass plays allowed rate (2.2%) and targeted rate (18.4%). His 76.9% catch rate ranked dead last and must be improved, though his 10.2 yards allowed per reception ranked eighth, and his 24 stops ranked first.
Witherspoon is the NFL’s best all-around perimeter cornerback.
CB Pat Surtain II, Denver Broncos
A pectoral injury suffered in Week 8 sidelined Surtain until Week 13. Despite the significant injury, Surtain earned a 73.3 PFF defense grade this season, tying for 17th among 71 NFL cornerbacks with at least 600 defensive snaps.
Among Surtain’s Weeks 1-8 healthy stretch, he forced incompletions at a career-best 23.5% while allowing just 0.66 yards per coverage snap. Among his post-injury games from Weeks 13 and on, he forced incompletions at just a 9.1% rate yet allowed only 0.53 yards per coverage snap.
Among 70 NFL cornerbacks with at least 375 coverage snaps across the full NFL season, Surtain’s 16.4% forced incompletion rate ranked 14th, 11.2% targeted rate ranks eighth, 0.59 yards allowed per coverage snap ranked fourth, 19.4% open-target rate ranked second, 0.85 explosive pass plays allowed rate ranked first and he grades out as the 21st-best player (73.3 PFF coverage grade). Surtain’s 55.2% catch rate allowed ranked 19th and is his career-best.
Surtain ranked third in defensive success rate (56.6%). His teammates, slot cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian (58.5%) and perimeter cornerback Riley Moss (56.9%), ranked first and second, respectively. McMillian earned a 78.9 PFF coverage grade while Moss earned a 60.1 PFF coverage grade.
Surtain turns 26 years old this offseason. He remains an elite coverage defender after five NFL seasons.
CB Joey Porter Jr., Pittsburgh Steelers
Porter missed Weeks 2-4 due to a strained hamstring and resumed playing following Pittsburgh’s Week 5 bye. Despite suffering an early-season soft tissue injury, which often results in recurrences, Porter produced elite per-play coverage metrics in his third professional season. Porter’s 70.2 PFF defense grade ranked 21st among 71 NFL cornerbacks with at least 600 defensive snaps.
Porter rarely allows the requisite separation for open targets to be thrown into his primary coverage. He forces incompletions and limits yardage at an elite level.
Porter’s coverage data among 33 NFL cornerbacks with at least 525 coverage snaps.
| NFL CB Coverage | Joey Porter Jr. |
| PFF Coverage Grade | 76.6 (No. 9) |
| Targeted Rate | 11.9% (No. 9) |
| Open-Target Rate | 28.4% (No. 5) |
| Catch Rate Allowed | 47.8% (No. 4) |
| Forced Incompletions | 16 (t-No. 4) |
| Forced Incompletion Rate | 23.9% (No. 3) |
| Yards Allowed Per Coverage Snap | 0.58 (No. 2) |
| Explosive Pass Plays Allowed | 7 (No. 4) |
| Explosive Pass Plays Allowed Rate | 0.8% (No. 1) |
Among 63 NFL cornerbacks with at least 115 third-down coverage snaps, Porter’s qualifying 35.3% forced incompletion rate ranked second. His five qualifying receptions allowed tied for the third-fewest.
Porter, 25, is among the NFL’s four best perimeter cornerbacks.
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