Defensive backs are the toughest position to evaluate when it comes to covering receivers. They are tasked with sticking to their coverage assignment on every snap and are often unfairly judged by their mistakes. Their purpose -- and the height of their effectiveness -- is to prevent quarterbacks from ever looking their way.
That's where NFL Next Gen Stats and AWS step in with a new set of metrics: Coverage Responsibility, a family of models that better quantifies coverage roles and performance. We've used this framework to construct a midseason cornerback ranking, identifying which players are truly taking receivers out of the game on a snap-by-snap basis. Built with AWS, the model family reveals three things on every pass concept: the targeted receiver, which players were matched up and each defender's assignment. This is the most effective method to date in terms of measuring the quiet wins that never show up in the box score.
The shutdown cornerback score is a composite of a player's production and efficiency in coverage. It accounts for a player's performance through the first eight weeks of the 2025 season, as well as a slightly lower-weighted evaluation of their work since the start of the 2024 campaign. The score is a weighted average of several advanced metrics derived from our new Coverage Responsibility model. We prioritized a low target rate, as the true shutdown cornerbacks dissuade passers from ever throwing their way. A cornerback's effectiveness when targeted is illustrated with various metrics, such as yards per target and more advanced approaches like expected points allowed, and the frequency in which he makes plays on the ball. We also considered how often cornerbacks face opposing No. 1 receivers, based on the receiver's target total in 2025 or since 2024. We finally incorporated proprietary metrics derived from the new model, including a cornerback's ability to create tight windows in man coverage (under 1 yard of separation) and total amount of time forcing tight coverage.
- OVERALL SCORE: 96
In 2024, Surtain became the third cornerback this century to be named Defensive Player of the Year, and Next Gen Stats metrics backed up his otherworldly performance. He never allowed more than 44 yards in a game last season despite facing a slate of stars that included Ja'Marr Chase, DK Metcalf, Mike Evans and Garrett Wilson, on 20+ routes each.
Surtain continued that tremendous play in 2025 up until the pectoral injury he sustained in Week 9, which makes his availability week to week. Prior to that injury, Surtain had not surrendered a touchdown in coverage or allowed a single reception beyond 12 air yards. His greatest impact might be his ability to repel targets from coming to his area of the field. Since the start of last season, he has faced just a 10.4% target rate, sixth-lowest among 116 corners with 300+ coverage snaps, despite matching up with No. 1 receivers on a league-high 261 routes in that span. On the rare occasion the ball does come his way, he makes life difficult on pass catchers. This season, Surtain has forced a tight window on 51.5% of targets, second in the league (min. 20 targets), and has made a play on the ball nine times (26.5%), the third-highest rate. Unfortunately, it appears the Broncos and their fifth-ranked defense might have to navigate life without the NFL's best cornerback for a while.
- OVERALL SCORE: 92
As one of the integral pieces of Steve Spagnuolo’s defensive operation, McDuffie is known for pressing receivers. He has lined up within 3 yards of a receiver on 45.1% of snaps this season, the second-highest rate by any cornerback (min. 100 snaps). With our new coverage model, we can finally quantify how players perform in press coverage, and he’s been excellent. McDuffie has allowed only 83 receiving yards on 14 press targets this season, recording five passes defensed against just eight receptions allowed.
The two-time All-Pro is in the midst of a potential career year. He has not allowed 40 yards in any game this season and has not given up a touchdown in coverage since Week 1. He has allowed 5.3 yards per target, the 12th-fewest among 93 cornerbacks targeted at least 20 times. McDuffie is also the stickiest of sticky corners, having spent a total of 7 minutes, 12.7 seconds in tight coverage since the start of last season, nearly a full minute more than any other player.
- OVERALL SCORE: 90
From the moment Mitchell stepped onto an NFL field, the Eagles have trusted him against top receivers. Mitchell has matched up with the opposition’s No. 1 wideout on 234 snaps (second-most in NFL) since the start of 2024, including a league-high 103 this season. He held CeeDee Lamb to one reception for 13 yards on nine routes, and Justin Jefferson to one catch for 10 yards on 20 routes.
Mitchell has allowed 24 completions on 49 targets this season and is one of just nine cornerbacks with 20+ targets to allow a completion percentage below 50%. He has been a weapon in man coverage for Philadelphia, allowing just 3.7 yards per target and forcing an NFL-high 14 tight windows. He is not afraid to cover receivers downfield, as he did on his first two career interceptions during last year's postseason, and has fared well in press coverage in 2025, ceding just six completions for 54 yards on 16 targets.
- OVERALL SCORE: 89
Gardner is known as a sticky corner and one of many “sauces” that refuses to separate. The fourth-year pro has forced tight windows at a league-high 52% rate this season, almost 10 percentage points higher than any other corner besides Patrick Surtain II (min. 100 coverage snaps). He’s also spent the fourth-most total time in tight coverage (139.9 seconds) among corners in 2025, which has allowed him to keep his target rate low (12.6%).
Gardner has quickly earned the trust of head coach Aaron Glenn, as he is facing No. 1 receivers at the highest rate in the NFL (53.3%, min. 100 coverage matchups) and lining up in press more often than any other corner (53.7%, up from 32.4% in 2024). He is known for his prowess in press coverage: Gardner has allowed receivers to get open at just a 2.8% rate (one open receiver on 37 targets) since the start of the 2024 season, the lowest among corners with 25+ press targets. He’s allowed just 16 completions on those 37 targets.
- OVERALL SCORE: 87
Lenoir crafted his “Hyena” nickname to stand out as unique among his NFL peers, but contrary to his moniker, he has quietly dominated receivers with effective play. This season, he has allowed the second-fewest yards per coverage snap (0.5) among cornerbacks with 100+ coverage snaps and has spent the seventh-most time in tight coverage (109.3 seconds). On 10 targets beyond 16 air yards, Lenoir has not allowed a single completion.
His 11.6% target rate this season is the 12th-lowest among 104 cornerbacks with 100+ coverage snaps, a stark change from 2024, when his 18.4% target rate well exceeded the position average (15.1%). Lenoir frequently played the nickel position that season. However, since the start of 2024, Lenoir has allowed only one touchdown on 124 targets. No other cornerback targeted 120+ times has allowed fewer than four scores in that span, and his 5.6 yards per target is also the fewest among that high-volume group.
- OVERALL SCORE: 87
While Surtain Island is a well-known concept by now, Terrell Island might be equally barren. The Falcons cornerback has been targeted on 11.2% of his coverage snaps this season (ninth-lowest among CBs with 100+ coverage snaps) after commanding just a 10.8% target rate last season (also ninth-lowest, min. 200 coverage snaps). He is the only cornerback to rank among the 10 lowest target rates in both campaigns.
In addition, Terrell has allowed the fewest yards per coverage snap (0.4) by any cornerback with 100+ coverage snaps this season. In fact, it’s the fewest since 2022 (Tyler Hall with the Raiders). Terrell has allowed just 59 receiving yards in total during his four healthy games this season. He has stayed extremely tight to his assigned man from the start of routes to the finish, as his press coverage rate of 44.4% is the league’s third-highest, and he has allowed only one receiver to get open across his 16 targets (6.3%, tied for lowest in NFL, min. 10 targets).
- OVERALL SCORE: 86
Stingley may be the NFL’s most skilled cornerback at causing chaos when the ball comes his way. Last season on downfield targets (10+ air yards), he allowed an astonishing six receptions on 39 targets (15.4%), the lowest completion percentage by any cornerback with at least 15 downfield targets in any season since 2018. He was nearly as likely to make an interception when targeted downfield, doing so four times.
This season while dealing with an oblique injury, Stingley has already allowed more downfield completions (9 on 18 targets) than he did in all of 2024, which has led to a somewhat underwhelming 8.2 yards per target allowed (2024: 5.0). However, Stingley has excelled in both zone coverage and press coverage in 2025. When playing zone, he has faced just an 11.4% target rate and recorded two interceptions. In press, he has surrendered just a 33.3% completion percentage on 12 targets, allowing a miniscule 15.3 passer rating.
- OVERALL SCORE: 86
Gonzalez was targeted on 20.3% percent of his snaps in man coverage last season and allowed just a 45.1% completion percentage. It seems that quarterbacks have learned their lesson. This season, Gonzalez has been targeted on 22 of his 173 coverage snaps (12.7%, 27th among 104 cornerbacks with 100+ coverage snaps) and has averaged 2 yards of separation from his coverage assignment when the ball arrives, the fifth-lowest mark in the NFL.
Since the start of last season, Gonzalez has forced a loss of -8.9 EPA on his targets, maintaining constant tight coverage and always putting himself in position to break up a pass despite facing No. 1 receivers at the second-highest rate (36.0%) of any cornerback in that span (min. 300 coverage matchups). He has not allowed a touchdown on his last 489 coverage snaps (since Week 6 of 2024), the sixth-longest streak of any cornerback.
- OVERALL SCORE: 85
Dean has taken a star turn in Year 7. His three interceptions have drawn attention, but there's much more under the hood that demonstrates how much of a terror he's been for Todd Bowles' aggressive defense. Dean has allowed just 18.8% of targeted receivers against him to get open (tied for seventh-lowest, min. 20 targets), helping him to allow a completion percentage of just 45.5% (tied for fifth-lowest). He has allowed a passer rating of 22.8, which is 9.4 points lower than any other cornerback in the last eight seasons.
While Dean's historic 2025 performance marks a major turnaround from his results in previous years, there were certainly signs of progress prior to this season. Consider that he hasn't allowed a touchdown completion since Dec. 24, 2023 -- covering a span of 741 coverage snaps (that's the second-longest streak in NFL). Since last season began, he has been targeted on just 12.0% of his zone coverage snaps while forcing tight windows on 40.0% of his targets in man coverage.
- OVERALL SCORE: 85
A fifth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Still snagged a starting cornerback job in Week 4 of his rookie year and never looked back. He has allowed -0.19 EPA per target since the start of last season, the 10th-lowest mark among 94 cornerbacks who have been targeted at least 60 times in that span. An impressive 30.1% of his matchups came against the other teams' No. 1 receiver in his rookie campaign; in 2025, that number is up to 31.2% (18th in NFL), even while playing in the Chargers' zone-heavy scheme.
This season, Still has been targeted on just 11.1% of snaps (seventh-fewest, min. 100 coverage snaps) and allowed 0.5 yards per snap (fifth-lowest). He's been at his best locking opponents down in man coverage while the zone flows through the middle of the field -- with a man assignment, Still has allowed a stunning 12 receiving yards in coverage on 46 snaps. His absence will definitely be felt for however long he remains out with an MCL sprain suffered last week.
HONORABLE MENTION:
- Jaycee Horn, Carolina Panthers
- Joshua Jobe, Seattle Seahawks
- Nate Wiggins, Baltimore Ravens
- DJ Turner II, Cincinnati Bengals
- D.J. Reed, Detroit Lions
-- Mike Band, James Reber, and Baily Deeter contributed to this story.
