Since Brandon Flowers was released by the Chiefs yesterday afternoon, rumors began to fly about what teams could be interested in the Pro Bowl cornerback. The Falcons were established as one of the frontrunners for his services, and a number of other teams have been linked to the former Chief.
- The Jets, Falcons, Texans, Lions, and Eagles are all still potential landing spots for Flowers’ services, writes Lorenzo Reyes of USAToday.com. The Jets need secondary help in general, as do the Eagles. The Texans and Falcons have personnel connections with defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel and general manager Scott Pioli, respectively. The Lions make sense after the release of veteran corner Chris Houston.
- The Jets certainly could use an upgrade in the secondary, but Rich Cimini has held firm that he would not expect the team to reach out to Flowers. He reports that the team has not expressed interest yet (via Twitter), and reiterated that he would be surprised if they do.
- The Panthers could also be in the mix, despite signing former first-round pick Antoine Cason this offseason, writes Reid Foster of Cover32.com. The team has just over $5MM in cap space to work with, and a need in the secondary. Foster also writes that making a run at Flowers could keep him away from one of their rivals in the NFC South, the Falcons.
- The Raiders have a need at corner, that has only been magnified after 2013 first-round selection D.J. Hayden went down with an ankle injury, according to Justin Smith of BleacherReport.com. With Hayden hurt, the team is looking to a pair of 49er castoffs Tarell Brown and Carlos Rogers to play big roles this upcoming season.
- The Vikings corners were bad in 2013, and Flowers could provide an upgrade their as well writes Christopher Gates of DailyNorseman.com. Although Flowers measured poorly according to Pro Football Focus’ numbers last season, he still performed better than Marcus Sherels, Josh Robinson, and Chris Cook and would provide a higher upside than all three.