Green Bay Packers: Six free agents they should consider signing
By Kenn Korb
Brandon Boykin, CB, Chicago
2015 Statistics (274 snaps): 25 tackles, 1.0 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 1 INT, 5 passes defensed
PFF Rankings (2015): 80.2 (overall)
Alright, now this one is a long shot on multiple fronts, but bear with me; he might actually be the best value on this whole list.
After arriving on the scene in Philadelphia as a quality corner from 2012-2014, Boykin practically disappeared. Pittsburgh traded a draft pick for him, and with their issues at the cornerback spot it seemed he was destined to step into a starring role for them. Then, the Steelers inexplicably decide to barely use him; across the 2015 season, he saw less than 25% of the team’s defensive snaps despite grading well when he did get put out there (PFF graded him above-average across those 274 snaps).
After that year, the Steelers let him leave for nothing in free agency. The Panthers picked him up, seemingly finding a cheap addition for what ended up being a terrible corner rotation in 2016. Instead, they cut him not even two months later. Chicago would eventually grab him in training camp, but then after only a couple weeks, Boykin ended up on IR due to an apparent pectoral injury.
Speaking of injuries, there is an apparent concern beyond the one he encountered with the Bears. According to rumors floating around last year, Boykin might have a degenerative hip condition; if true, it’s no wonder he’s seen his stock plummet so quickly.
From a quite bright future in 2013-2014, to getting traded for a 5th round pick in the 2015 offseason, to seeing little playing time despite clear corner struggles around him in Pittsburgh, to getting picked up and cut within a 2 month span by ANOTHER team with dire cornerback needs (Carolina), to getting left in the wind with little interest until Chicago grabbed him in the middle of summer, to now hoping he can not only recover from the definite injury which stole his 2016 season but also dispel those 2016 rumors about his hip problems, it’s been an immediate and wild ride to barely being a part of this league anymore.
Boykin needs a place which will give him a chance again, and Green Bay could be that place.
He’ll be put in competition with a bunch of young players, but it isn’t as if he’s old (he’ll be 27 in July). There is nobody currently under contract at that position who has proven capable of clearly holding down a spot in the defense (Gunter is close, but quality receivers showed off pretty often just how overmatched he could be).
Importantly, he also won’t be expensive. A veteran’s minimum contract likely brings him on board. A contract that low, even if it technically could affect compensatory pick considerations, would almost certainly not be worth enough to end up being one which makes a difference in that manner.
Boykin could always have a tough time with recovering from his IR-forcing injury from 2016. That rumored hip problem could end up being more than a rumor. But if they aren’t (very well could be the case, and surely the Green Bay medical staff would look deep into those possibilities before signing off on any decision).
If the medical issues end up not being a problem, however? Taking a flyer on a still-young talent like Boykin is the sort of intelligent, low-risk/high-reward decision successful franchises constantly tend to make. He wouldn’t fix everything, but there’s potential excellent value to be found in him.