The Kansas City Chiefs released Brandon Flowers last week, and since then the suitors have been lining up.
Upwards of 10 different NFL teams have reportedly shown interest in the cornerback, including the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots, San Diego Chargers, Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions, and Baltimore Ravens.
But where does Flowers fit in the best?
Flowers was drafted to be a Tampa 2 corner, and he excelled in the scheme in which he could be physical and jam wide receivers at the line then follow it up with press-man coverage. Flowers’ production dropped off when he changed defensive schemes and coordinators in Kansas City.
The Steelers are monitoring Flowers, according to CBS Sports.
Free agent CB Brandon Flowers not negotiating w/teams yet. Will spend the next 2 days in SD. BAL, PIT, MIN among those monitoring closely
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) June 18, 2014
The Black and Gold may be the perfect fit. Ike Taylor is another year older, and the team did not draft a corner early in the draft. Flowers could slide in opposite of Taylor, perhaps supplanting the veteran that struggled in 2013. The Steelers’ future corner tandem of Flowers and Cortez Allen would instantly be an upgrade.
Division rival Baltimore has also been working out a number of corners, and Flowers is the best of the bunch. With the Ravens, Flowers would be the third corner behind Lardarius Webb and Jimmy Smith, and could round out a nickel package that would be among the best in the league.
The Patriots are seemingly stockpiling depth at the cornerback position. The team added Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner this offseason, but Flowers could be an insurance policy if one or both don’t pan out. Browner is suspended for the first four games of 2014, and Flowers is a more-than-adequate fill-in. It’s unlikely New England can afford to pay Flowers what he’ll be looking for.
San Diego drafted TCU corner Jason Verrett in the first round, but there’s a good chance the rookie needs some time to transition to the pros. The Bolts’ secondary was atrocious in 2013, and the addition of Verrett and Flowers offers a chance for major improvements.
While the Vikings and Falcons have both reportedly shown interest in Flowers, they’re probably not the best landing spots. The NFC North and South are chock-loaded with talented quarterbacks and wide receivers, and in both situations Flowers will be needed to step up into a No. 1 corner role.
With Pittsburgh and San Diego, Flowers has a chance to be a key contributor but not the main guy. However, those squads probably need Flowers more than he needs them. In Baltimore and New England, he’ll be a luxury addition. So much of Flowers’ decision will come down to what he wants his role to be.
