Antonio Cromartie on the Block?

A hot rumor coming out of San Diego these days is the Chargers are willing to part with former Pro Bowl corner back Antonio Cromartie if it means landing a starting running back or a high draft pick in return.

This is an interesting turn of events for a player who was named to the 2007 All Pro team in just his second season in the league.  Cromartie is seen as kind of a poor man’s Deion in that he has the same disdain for tackling as Deion did yet is capable of shutting down his side of the field in the passing game.  He is not quite on Deion’s level as a shut down corner, but, when healthy he is one of the best cover corners in the game.  He possesses the two characteristics all teams love in corner backs, he is tall (6′ 2″) and has sub 4.4 speed in the 40.

The decision to be willing to trade Cromartie is an interesting one given how the league seems to be gravitating to running more 3-receiver/one-back sets on offense.  Where 3 or 4 receiver sets used to be run exclusively on passing downs they are now becoming more of a norm for a lot of teams, or, at the very least they are run a lot more than in the past.  Good cover corners are at a premium right now in the league and the consensus seems to be you need at three decent coverage guys on defense these days.

The team appears to favor Antoine Cason who has decent size and is a more physical presence willing to step up and play run defense when called upon to do so.  Cason is a good cover guy but he does not have the elite play-making skills Cromartie does.

The willingness to deal Cromartie for a running back is even more curious given how much harder it is to find shut down corners than it is 1,000 yard rushers in the league these days.  The league is full of plenty of backs who were not first round picks who have had successful careers over the years.  There are not many elite corners who were taken after the first round of the draft.

When news of Cromarite’s availability broke the speculation was the Cowboys, Packers, Ravens, Giants, Eagles, Falcons and 49ers were the teams most likely to try and swing a deal for Cromartie.  The Giants and Cowboys were initially seen as the favorites given their glaring need for a shut down corner and depth at running back and bevy of backfield talent.

There was one suggestion that the Cowboys would be willing to deal the oft-injured Marion Barber for Cromartie.  The only thing is one doubts the Chargers would be willing to take on Barber’s contract.  Barber was given a deal worth just over $6 million a year prior to the 2008 season after being named to his first Pro Bowl following the 2007 season.

In the two seasons since he has scored just 16 touchdowns after combining for 28 the previous two seasons and has seen his yards per carry drop to 4.0 after posting a 4.8 average those two years.  He has struggled with nagging injuries the past two years and one wonders if maybe his career has already peaked and is really not suited to be a lead back.  There is some sentiment that Felix Jones will be the starting running back in Dallas next season with Barber going back to being the short yardage guy/second half back that comes to run roughshod on a tired defense.

If the Cowboys are willing to part with Tashard Choice and a late mid-round pick the Chargers might be willing to do that deal.  I doubt Jones is even available or even open for discussion at this stage.

The Giants have Ahmad Bradshaw, Brandon Jacobs, and Danny Ware to cherry pick from.  The biggest concern with Bradshaw is he played much of the season with an injury and only logged 184 touches in 15 games.  He has never shown he can be a primary back and give a team 250 to 300 touches a season.

Jacobs has never given a team more than 225 carries in a season and really struggles behind lines that do not open holes for him to get him to the second level where he can steam roll Linebackers and defensive backs.

Ware showed lots of promise during the preseason only to see himself struggle with nagging injuries all season.

The Giants need a game changing corner, but, would also have to part with a pick in addition to a back to get Cromartie.

Another scenario has the Vikings trading Chester Taylor and a pick in exchange for Cromartie.  The Vikings struggled against teams who could throw the ball last season and upgrading the corner position is a priority for them this spring.  Taylor is expressing an interest to move on to a team where he will get a chance to start and carry the ball 15 to 20 times a game.  He would be a good match for the Chargers, but, is also a potential free agent.  Taylor would likely have to agree to a deal with the Chargers before they would pull the trigger on such a deal.

The latest scenario to emerge over the weekend has the Titans showing an interest in Cromartie.  The Titans pass defense rated 31st in the league in passing yards allowed last season and would love to get a guy like Cromartie to match up against Andre Johnson and Reggie Wayne.

The deal would consist of sending restricted free agent LenDale White and a late mid-round pick to the Chargers in return for Cromartie.  White saw a diminished role this past season and desperately wants out of Tennessee so he can have a shot at being a lead back again in the league.  The Titans are not likely to have a strong interest in retaining White as they have high hopes for Javon Ringer, who showed real promise in the limited action he saw as a rookie.  It seems unlikely the Titans would match any significant offer White would receive.

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