CHARLOTTE -- The New England Patriots' picture at cornerback became a bit clearer in Friday’s preseason win against the Panthers. The performance of the top trio of Malcolm Butler, Bradley Fletcher and Tarell Brown was one of the team’s bright spots.
How much can be read into that?
In one respect, maybe it was a result of facing a Panthers wide receiver corps that is untested without top threat Kelvin Benjamin and rookie Devin Funchess. At the same time, good technique and execution is important to see regardless of who is on the other side of the line of scrimmage.
So call it a mix of both, but the emergence of Fletcher, in particular, was a notable storyline. At 6-foot-0, 205 pounds, he is the team’s sturdiest corner.
"He's definitely a longer corner compared to a lot of them," coach Bill Belichick said after the game. "He's got good length and it showed up in a few plays. Certainly did last week. We'll take a look at the film, and try to figure out how to use him the best we can."
On Friday night, the Patriots used Fletcher at right cornerback. He played 39 snaps and helped his cause for not just a roster spot, but a potential top-3 role.
That was one aspect that stood out when analyzing snap counts, which are incomplete with some of the back-end players on the roster:
CORNERBACK
Butler – 43 of 76
Fletcher – 39 of 76
Logan Ryan – 33 of 76
Brown – 30 of 76
Robert McClain – 24 of 76
Dax Swanson – Still to be compiled
LINEBACKER
Jamie Collins – 42 of 76
James Morris – 38 of 76
Jonathan Freeny – 26 of 76
Dont'a Hightower – 24 of 76
Jerod Mayo – 15 of 76
Darius Fleming – 13 of 76
Xzavier Dickson – 6 of 76
SAFETY
Devin McCourty – 40 of 76
Jordan Richards – 33 of 76
Nate Ebner – 31 of 76
Duron Harmon – 30 of 76
Patrick Chung – 24 of 76
Tavon Wilson – 8 of 76
Brandon King – Still to be compiled
