Buster

Skrine

Skrine has played 11 seasons, starting more than 10 games in five of them for the Jets and Browns. His most impactful season was undoubtedly 2014 when he picked off four balls and defensed 18 passes for Cleveland. He’s generally been a replacement-level corner. Players that retire this early in camp don’t always actually hang it up for good, but Skrine is 33 and has bounced around the back of rosters for a few seasons now.

Skrine opened 2021 with the 49ers, but he ended up finishing the season as a rotational player with the Titans. Now going on his 12th season in the league, Skrine will look to earn a similar role in training camp.

Skrine, 32, had an offer to join the Ravens’ practice squad but is opting to sign with the Niners’ 53-man roster. Skrine has played in the slot for the majority of his 151-game career. The Niners lost CB Jason Verrett to a torn ACL in Week 1.

Westry played 33 snaps on Monday night against Vegas. He’s the latest in a long line of Baltimore secondary injuries that has turned the usually-stout unit into one quarterbacks might be able to attack in 2021. The Ravens are looking into free agent CB Buster Skrine, who allowed 51 receptions on 65 targets in 2020 when he played for Chicago.

Skrine, 32 next month, spent two seasons in Chicago, appearing in 28-of-32 games as the team’s nickel corner following Bryce Callahan’s departure to Denver. He had one year left on his deal, and the Bears will eat $3.3 million in dead cap space. Skrine hasn’t picked off a pass since 2017 and is a run-of-the-mill slot cover man.

Chicago will be without Skrine and Johnson, two of their top two corners, against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. Green Bay has to beat the Bears to guarantee they get the No. 1 seed in the NFC headed into the postseason.

It’s significant since both S Deon Bush (foot) and CB Jaylon Johnson (shoulder) were unable to practice throughout the week and trending towards being ruled out, too. That development would obviously pit Kirk Cousins and Minnesota’s passing attack in a terrific bounce-back spot in Sunday’s must-win divisional contest. Khalil Mack (shoulder) is also questionable but fully expected to play.

Skrine is a veteran slot corner who has started in this suddenly less potent Bears defense. This is a slight boast to Keke Coutee, although Skrine has graded out better against the run than in coverage.

Haden missed practice again on Thursday after spraining his knee the week before the bye. He had been flirting with “shutdown” status before the injury, so his absence is good news for the Raiders’ wide receiver teases. Dimitri Patterson is expected to start in Haden’s spot with rookie Buster Skrine as the third corner.

This would seem to signal that free agent nickel CB Bryce Callahan will not be back with Chicago. Skrine, 30 next month, mans the slot and is a natural replacement, even if he isn’t the same level player as Callahan. Perhaps being surrounded my more defensive talent in Chicago can elevate his game. Skrine has a concerning injury history, particularly with concussions. He’ll slide in between outside cover corners Kyle Fuller and Prince Amukamara for new DC Chuck Pagano.