Stephon Gilmore landing spots: Best fits as Pro Bowl CB ‘being patient and waiting for the right opportunity’

O NFL is now on summer break with team activities organized and mini camps over.

However, four players from NFL Senior Columnist Pete Prisco’s Top 100 Free Agent Rankings remain on the open market, with the best player available at No. 31 on their list: cornerback Stephon Gilmore.

Gilmore, the last defensive back to win the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award – which he did in 2019 with the New England Patriots – is a five-time Pro Bowl selection (2016, 2018-2021) and a two-time first-team All -Pro (2018-2019), who is expected to enter his 13th NFL season in 2024 after being drafted 10th overall out of South Carolina by the Buffalo Bills in 2012 NFL Draft.

“Being patient now,” Gilmore said Wednesday, via MassLive.com, when asked about his NFL future on the red carpet at Tom Brady’s Patriots Hall of Fame ceremony. “I feel good, I’m in year 13 and I’ve been playing for a long time. So I’m just being patient and waiting for the right opportunity.”

After five seasons in Buffalo, the last of which in 2016 culminated in his first career Pro Bowl nod, he signed a five-year, $65 million contract to remain in the AFC East with the New England Patriots. Gilmore earned three of his five Pro Bowl selections and both All-Pro nods (2018-2019) under the tutelage of Bill Belichick. His first All-Pro season in 2018 culminated in the Patriots’ 13-3 Super Bowl LIII victory over the Los Angeles Rams, in which Gilmore threw an interception in the fourth quarter near the goal line.

He has since become a high-profile journeyman following his career with the Patriots (2017-2020), suiting up for the Carolina Panthers (2021), Indianapolis Colts (2022) and Dallas Cowboys (2023) over the past three seasons. Gilmore posted a 60.3 passer rating as the top defender in coverage last season, which ranked ninth-best in the NFL among 39 players with 80 or more passes thrown. He was sometimes tasked with defending opponents’ top receivers including DK Metcalf and AJ Brown.

Here are some opportunities that could turn out to be the right opportunities in 2024 for Gilmore, who will turn 34 on Sept. 19 — weeks after the start of next season.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys are the fit that makes the most sense. He is well-liked on the Dallas defense as well as throughout the locker room. Cowboys 2023 first-team All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland credits Gilmore’s guidance as a major reason for his rookie season, in which he led the NFL in interceptions (nine) while also setting the record from a single league season to pick-six (five).

“I always loved Stephon coming back,” Bland said on May 1. “He’s a guy I always watched growing up. Having him in the room last year was great. to go back.”

Additionally, with Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs returning from an ACL injury suffered in practice before the team’s Week 3 game against the Arizona Cardinals last season, additional depth could be helpful. Dallas selected Wake Forest cornerback Caelen Carson in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft in April, but new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer might also appreciate having someone around who he knows can contribute immediately. The Cowboys have some room in their budget to bring Gilmore back on a one-year deal, as they have just over $12 million ($12.12 million to be exact, according to OverTheCap.com) in effective space at the moment.

Gilmore himself would also appreciate a second season on Dallas.

“I talk to him every day. Of course I want him back, and he would love to be back,” Cowboys wide receiver and Gilmore’s best friend Brandin Cooks said at Cowboys OTAs. “The thing about Gilly is he’s a professional. If his number is called, he’s ready. He’s not a Hall of Famer by accident. I’d love to have him here. We see each other every day. We Let’s see how it happens.”

At the end of Gilmore’s career, it’s clear that he will only be looking at teams with legitimate chances of being contenders and making the playoffs. The back-to-back Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs certainly check that box, and they could also use some more cornerback depth after losing L’Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans in free agency after he signed a four-year contract worth US$76.4 million. agreement to move to Nashville.

The cornerback spot alongside 2023 first-team All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie is currently set to be filled by third-year players Nazeeh Johnson and Jaylen Watson. Gilmore’s championship-winning experience at the position could be beneficial to a Sneed-less cornerback room in Kansas City.

The Ravens were the NFL’s No. 1 defense in 2023, but attrition on both their coaching staff and roster has left Baltimore set for an incredibly different defense in 2024. One of those positions includes cornerback opposite Marlon Humphrey. Both Rock Ya-Sin (49ers) and Ronald Darby (Jaguars) have left for greener pastures, which is why last season’s AFC runner-up used his first-round draft pick (30th overall) on the cornerback of Clemson, Nate Wiggins.

Gilmore, along with Humphrey, could be two great mentors for Wiggins. Additionally, teaming up with two-time NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson would allow the 12-year veteran to remain in the Super Bowl hunt in his 13th season.

The NFC runners-up would fulfill Gilmore’s desire to team up with a contender and give him the opportunity to mentor cornerbacks Terrion Arnold (24th overall pick) and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. (61st overall pick), his first two picks of the 2024 NFL Draft, in a remade defensive backfield. Detroit also traded for former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Super Bowl champion Carlton Davis, and Gilmore, along with Davis, could be steady veterans in what is shaping up to be a young defensive backfield for the Lions.

Prediction

Gilmore can’t go wrong with any of the four teams mentioned here, as all four were top three teams in their respective conferences a year ago. However, Gilmore’s 2023 home — the Cowboys — makes more sense given their established locker room rapport, plus the element of him being a veteran who could quickly pick up new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer’s defense.

Dallas was earning pennies in the name of gaining cap space for big-ticket extensions for quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and edge rusher Micah Parsons, so if Gilmore accepts a one-year deal worth probably no more than $2 million or $3 million, then the Cowboys should be his home in 2024.