Bengals sign Trae Waynes

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Some PFF Free Agency stuff on Trae Waynes.

Quote:Youthful yet experienced cornerbacks will almost always turn heads when they become available on the free agent market. So, while the 27-year-old Trae Waynes may have performed below expectations as a former first-round pick, his solid tackling and 1,910 career coverage snaps could mean that he gets a second chance to make a good impression.

Since being taken with the 11th overall selection of the 2015 NFL Draft, Trae Waynes has played in 74 of a possible 80 regular-season games with the Minnesota Vikings.

In his time in Minnesota, Waynes has earned a coverage grade of 65.9 that ranks 114th among cornerbacks who have played at least 1,000 snaps over the last five seasons. And while he has consistently provided tight coverage, he’s still managed to allow a whopping 215 receptions on throws into his coverage, the 17th-most among players at the position.

However, with his 4.3 speed and good short-area quickness, Waynes still has the potential to turn it around and become a more consistent player.

Trae Waynes: Third-down coverage statistics since 2015 (regular season only, min. 500 coverage snaps)

His best production has come on third downs; he is currently tied with Richard Sherman and Aqib Talib by allowing the fourth-fewest third-down receptions (39) since 2015, and he’s also given up the second-fewest first downs (24). Waynes’ third-down coverage grade of 69.8 may rank 26th, but both his 5.8 yards per reception allowed and his 30.5 conversion percentage rank first among qualifying corners.

Be that as it may, Waynes does need to play with improved discipline — he tends to peek into the backfield and often loses his leverage in coverage as a result. He has also shown a tendency to allow wide receivers to separate as the ball arrives, which has also contributed to the high volume of receptions allowed. An improved technique will lead to an improvement in his overall confidence.