Is former New York Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie interested in signing with the Buffalo Bills?
Antonio Cromartie was recently cut by the New York Jets in a move that saves the team $8 million against the salary cap. In a recent tweet, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport indicated that Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan is intrigued by a reunion and that Cromartie is due to visit Buffalo in the near future.
Rex coached Cromartie back when he was with the Jets. It’s no secret that he loves to sign his former players whenever possible. Ryan was previously the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens and the head coach of the Jets.
More from BuffaLowDown
- Buffalo Bills were ready to trade back if they couldn’t get Dalton Kincaid
- Grading Buffalo Bills drafting Dalton Kincaid in 2023 NFL Draft
- How the Buffalo Bills can win Day 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft
- Buffalo Bills having conversations about trading for DeAndre Hopkins
- Buffalo Bills Draft Rumors: Bills linked to this shocking first round target
When Rex went from Baltimore to New York there were former players of his who followed including linebacker Bart Scott and safety Jim Leonhard. When he went from New York to Buffalo he had more players follow him including wide receiver Percy Harvin, fullback John Conner, quarterback Matt Simms, tight end Matthew Mulligan, offensive tackle Wayne Hunter, and cornerback Ellis Lankster.
In addition to those players, Rex convinced the Bills to sign linebacker IK Enemkpali after the Jets had cut him for breaking Geno Smith’s jaw in an altercation between the two. Ed Reed, who was a safety with the Ravens during Ryan’s tenure, was hired this offseason as an assistant defensive backs coach with the Buffalo Bills. Many other coaches also followed Rex from New York to Buffalo when he was initially hired by the Bills.
But should the Bills go after Cromartie? He appears to have lost a step and did not have a good season. Pro Football Focus rates Antonio as the 86th best cornerback last year with a grade of 46.5. Cromartie did play through a couple of injuries so it’s possible he could bounce back but at 32-years-old that’s not likely. He is not even among the top 99 free agents available according to NFL.com writers Chris Wesseling and Gregg Rosenthal.
Let’s hope that Ryan’s interest in signing Cromartie has more to do with him believing he can contribute to the Bills and not because Cromartie defended Rex Ryan and his system when according to NJ.com he said “When I had him here, he’s a good coach. We believed in and trusted in him. But those guys up there, they’ve just got to buy into the system. I think that’s what it really boils down to.”
The Bills have two great cornerbacks in Ronald Darby and Stephon Gilmore. They don’t need additional depth at this position so it does not make sense to bring in Cromartie in this capacity. One interesting idea with Cromartie would be to convert him to safety.
Buffalo already has Leodis McKelvin and Corey Graham on the roster who were former cornerbacks that now play safety. The Bills would be better off adding a true safety in free agency, or in the draft, rather than trying to teach a third cornerback how to switch positions.
“We’ve got to be all in. It’s kind of like being half-pregnant. Forget that. We’re all in. We’re fully pregnant now.”
Rex Ryan recently made a bizarre statement at the combine when he said about the Bills defense “We’ve got to be all in. It’s kind of like being half-pregnant. Forget that. We’re all in. We’re fully pregnant now.” If Rex wants his defense to be “fully pregnant” bringing in Cromartie might be the way to go as Antonio is expecting his 11th and 12th kids via twins with his wife despite getting a vasectomy in order to avoid such a situation.
Cornerback is not a position the Bills need to emphasize in free agency. With two players who have already converted from cornerback to safety on their roster, it would not be a good idea to sign Cromartie to play safety when there are other capable options available.
If the Bills wants to shore up either of these positions there are some decent safeties available at affordable prices including Mark Barron and Walter Thurmond. If they want to improve their depth at cornerback, an aging 32-year-old player who can no longer keep up with the fastest wide receivers in the NFL is not the answer.
Buffalo should seek out a younger and faster player for their nickel corner position in the draft if they would like to add depth. For these reasons, the Buffalo Bills should pass on signing Antonio Cromartie and let him try to make some other teams defense “fully pregnant”.