Bills Bolster CB Depth, Sign Webster

by Brian Galliford on May 21, 2007 5:09 PM EDT in Buffalo Bills News

Is Webster really the answer to our CB "problem"?

It turns out that CB really was the Bills' next big addition. After ignoring the position in April's Draft, the Bills today inked free agent CB Jason Webster, an eight-year veteran who spent the last few years with the Atlanta Falcons. Webster's experience was a huge asset to the Bills, who are very green at the position. Terrence McGee has never been a #1 corner, Ashton Youboty has played in a total of three NFL games and Kiwaukee Thomas and Jabari Greer are better suited for slot roles.

Bills Director of Pro Personnel was quoted in the Bills' press release: "He's a disciplined player with quick feet," said Bills director of pro personnel John Guy who scouted him in college. "He's small in stature, but for his size he's pretty physical and courageous in throwing his body around. He understands leverage. He's a solid player."

The Falcoholic had a not-so-ringing endorsement of Webster when he was released on May 10:

"Courtesy of ESPN, it appears Webster will be seeking to prove his worth for a different team. I have no doubt he can contribute for another team, but as someone who had to watch him attempt to cover people in Atlanta, I have one simple word.

Woo!"

First of all, I think of the free agents available, Webster was probably the one of the two best options out there. He is not, however, a starting cornerback. He failed miserably in that role in Atlanta. The biggest issue with Webster is his injury history. He signed a six-year deal with Atlanta in 2004 despite appearing in just five games the prior year with the San Francisco 49ers. He isn't the most consistent of players and was often a player opposing quarterbacks picked on in his time with the Falcons. At this point in his career, he simply isn't starting material.

Luckily, I don't feel that Buffalo brought him here to start. I still believe that in the end, the starting duo will be McGee and Thomas. In nickel situations, Youboty will play outside with McGee and Thomas will shift to the slot man. Webster and Greer will fill out the depth chart; this makes me much more comfortable than a 4-5 depth chart of Greer and Eric Bassey. I think this is a good signing in terms of depth purposes, but I honestly don't expect Webster to earn much playing time ahead of our top three.

Thoughts on the signing?

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I like the signing

I'm also of the opinion that this is a depth signing, not a guy who will be fighting for the starting job opposite McGee. If that is the case, I like this signing for a number of reasons:

Immediately adds to our depth and gives us another veteran presence that we sorely needed. Webster may be part of the mix to start, but I don't see that really amounting to much. He will compete with Thomas and Youboty for the #3 CB and those three will give us good depth at the #1-4 CB spots with McGee. If Youboty falters during the preseason and isn't ready, we'll have two veteran CB's able to pick up the slack. Also, having four solid CB's will give us a decent backup in case of an injury.
This should allow McGee to handle KR duties without hesitation now. Having 3 other CB's capable of getting the job done with extended snaps really will help us more than just defensively. We NEED McGee returning kicks because of his penchant for busting the big play. He's always good for 25 yards at the least and consistently rips off 40+ yards. With our young, improving offense it will continue to be imperative that our D and ST gives them good field position. If McGee doesn't take the first kick return of the season, I will be utterly shocked and angry.
Jabari Greer will not see the field defensively. This may actually be #1 in my book. Greer is just awful defensively and if it wasn't for his success as the punt gunner, he would have no role on this team. Pushing him down the depth chart is something that needed to be done. If a guy like Bassey shows the ability to cover punts, Greer may be out of a job completely. I really do not want to see Greer trying to cover receivers at any point after Labor Day.

Hopefully, Webster will be healthy and able to make a difference for our young Defense. He sounds healthy enough as it's expected he'll be taking part in practice tomorrow. I just love adding solid depth to positions of need. It's not always necessary to bring in a starting caliber player, but it is necessary to get guys who can have an impact for the team and fill in if necessary.

by Kurupt on May 21, 2007 10:15 PM EDT reply actions