• Jack Jones bursts onto the scene in Week 15: Jones introduced himself to the world with a spectacular pick-six against the reeling Chargers on Thursday Night Football. It’s been an up-and-down year for the 2022 fourth-round pick, but he earned a 94.3 coverage grade in Week 15, the second-best single-game mark by any defender this year.
• Taron Johnson steps up against Dallas: The Bills defense dismantled the high-flying Dallas Cowboys, and Johnson was a big reason for that. No cornerback in the league did a better job of preventing separation in Week 15, and his 85.4 coverage grade also reflects that.
• Dig into the numbers for yourself: PFF's Premium Stats is the most in-depth collection of NFL and NCAA player performance data. Subscribe today to get full access!
Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes
If quarterback is the most important position on the football field, then limiting the effectiveness of that player is the most important thing a defense can do.
A team can do this in two ways: It can pressure the passer to disrupt his timing, rhythm and accuracy, or it can shut down the opposing receivers.
These rankings will combine PFF coverage grades with our Successful Coverage Over Expected (SCOE) data, which looks at how well each coverage defender performed on non-targeted coverage snaps, as we grade every coverage defender’s ability to prevent separation whether they are targeted on the play or not.
Here are the top 32 cornerbacks for the 2023 season through Week 15. For more grades and statistics on the league's best cornerbacks, check out PFF Premium Stats.
| Week 16 Rank | Change | Player | Team | Grade Rank | SCOE Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | no change | Sauce Gardner | Jets | 3 | 3 |
| 2 | up 1 | Jaylon Johnson | Bears | 1 | 7 |
| 3 | up 2 | Darious Williams | Jaguars | 5 | 7 |
| 4 | down 2 | Kenny Moore II | Colts | 9 | 2 |
| 5 | up 1 | Kendall Fuller | Commanders | 10 | 1 |
| 6 | down 2 | Rasul Douglas | Bills | 6 | 10 |
| 7 | up 3 | Charvarius Ward | 49ers | 6 | 15 |
| 8 | down 1 | Derek Stingley Jr. | Texans | 11 | 9 |
| 9 | no change | Taron Johnson | Bills | 15 | 12 |
| 10 | up 2 | Michael Carter II | Jets | 17 | 10 |
| 11 | up 6 | Mike Hilton | Bengals | 13 | 26 |
| 12 | down 1 | Mekhi Blackmon | Vikings | 12 | 30 |
| 13 | up 10 | L'Jarius Sneed | Chiefs | 23 | 16 |
| 14 | up 4 | Brian Branch | Lions | 36 | 5 |
| 15 | down 7 | Joey Porter Jr. | Steelers | 24 | 25 |
| 16 | down 1 | Steven Nelson | Texans | 18 | 36 |
| 17 | up 3 | Christian Benford | Bills | 21 | 32 |
| 18 | up 4 | Devon Witherspoon | Seahawks | 13 | 45 |
| 19 | up 10 | A.J. Terrell | Falcons | 20 | 35 |
| 20 | down 7 | Marcus Peters | Raiders | 30 | 20 |
| 21 | up 12 | Deommodore Lenoir | 49ers | 26 | 30 |
| 22 | down 1 | Trent McDuffie | Chiefs | 19 | 41 |
| 23 | up 7 | D.J. Reed | Jets | 8 | 61 |
| 24 | up 3 | Tre Herndon | Jaguars | 38 | 16 |
| 25 | up 8 | Roger McCreary | Titans | 32 | 29 |
| 26 | up 7 | Isaiah Oliver | 49ers | 44 | 12 |
| 27 | down 13 | Donte Jackson | Panthers | 43 | 14 |
| 28 | down 12 | Paulson Adebo | Saints | 4 | 73 |
| 29 | down 4 | Dane Jackson | Bills | 31 | 44 |
| 30 | up 3 | DaRon Bland | Cowboys | 2 | 90 |
| 31 | down 5 | Asante Samuel Jr. | Chargers | 16 | 71 |
| 32 | no change | Ambry Thomas | 49ers | 27 | 55 |
HIGHLIGHTS FROM WEEK 15
Highest-graded coverage defender: Jack Jones, Las Vegas Raiders
Jones introduced himself to the world with a spectacular pick-six against the reeling Chargers on Thursday Night Football. It’s been an up-and-down year for the 2022 fourth-round pick, but he earned a 94.3 coverage grade in Week 15, the second-best single-game mark by any defender this year.
He was targeted three times but allowed only one catch for 2 yards while forcing an incompletion and recording a pass stop and that incredible pick-six.
Jack Jones . Art. ???? pic.twitter.com/7l6awmh3kX
— NFL (@NFL) December 15, 2023
Most forced incompletions: Michael Davis, Los Angeles Chargers
It was a mixed day for Davis, as he recorded four forced incompletions on 11 targets. The flip side is that he allowed seven catches for 112 yards, two touchdowns and three first downs.
Top-ranked in SCOE: Taron Johnson, Buffalo Bills
The Bills defense dismantled the high-flying Dallas Cowboys, and Johnson was a big reason for that. No cornerback in the league did a better job of preventing separation in Week 15, and his 85.4 coverage grade also reflects that. Johnson forced one incompletion and made three pass stops.
Lowest completion percentage allowed (minimum five targets): Charvarius Ward, San Francisco 49ers
Ward hauled in two interceptions — one of which he returned for a touchdown — and didn't allow a single catch across six targets. His 91.9 coverage grade would take the cake most weeks, and his stellar play all year has been a big reason for the dominant performances of the 49ers defense.
Most pass stops: Alontae Taylor, New Orleans Saints
Taylor has had quite a year, statistically. His four pass stops put him at 18 for the season, tied for the second-best in the NFL. He has 13 forced incompletions, good for 10th best in the NFL.
On the flip side, he’s allowed 622 yards, the 12th-most at the position, while his 16 explosive passes surrendered is the sixth-wort mark among his peers.
Still, Taylor was excellent in week 15. He earned an 86.2 coverage grade, with his four pass stops the big highlight.
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