Darrelle Revis' best position is at cornerback, and he needs a situation where he can play in a zone-based defense -- one that will allow him to play off-coverage, use his eyes and jump routes. I don't think he's at a point right now athletically where he can play in a press system that will force him to execute bump-and-run. But in a zone system, Revis is still more than capable of being a very good corner.
Revis said it
"would be awesome" to play in Pittsburgh and that'd be a good fit. He can offer wisdom to the young players in the secondary and play in a zone system. Another fit would be Buffalo, although it's a team in the midst of a transition. Head coach Sean McDermott ran zone in Carolina and could use a veteran leader on the outside, especially after losing
Stephon Gilmore in free agency. Revis isn't necessarily a CB1 at this time in his career, but still a good player.
If Revis is going to play in 2017, I think he's going to have to switch to the safety position. As far as team fits, Revis must try to find an existing relationship inside the room.
I still think
Darrelle Revis' best value is as a corner. His cover skills, ability to read routes as the receiver is running them and recovery speed are what's made him great. Playing safety is another ballgame -- coverage angles are different (more area to cover) and tackling is huge. It's very different. Not like moving from offensive tackle to offensive guard.
Dallas lost
Barry Church and
Morris Claiborne in free agency, so the
Cowboys could use some help in the secondary. Plus, isn't this the kind of signing that screams Jerry Jones?
Charles Woodson transitioned from cornerback to safety pretty late in his career, but he was a bigger-framed corner and the move was easy for him to handle physically. I don't think
Darrelle Revis has the build to be a safety, so I want him to give it another shot at corner -- but with a team that will provide him an umbrella.
The
Seahawks come to mind, with a healthy
Earl Thomas and bruiser
Kam Chancellor. If Revis is brought in as a nickel, slot or outside corner, those safeties won't leave him out to dry. They would provide speed and intelligence behind him.
I don't think Revis is going to be a CB1 on a team, but he's also not a nickel. He likes to get his hands on the receiver and be physical. He's going to have to play in a scheme where there is a lot of single-high safety. The
Pittsburgh Steelers could use a solid, veteran corner. If I was Pittsburgh, I'd jump all over Revis.
After winning
Super Bowl XLIX with the
New England Patriots, it looked like
Darrelle Revis was softer physically. That could've been a reason why he struggled so much in 2016. If Revis takes care of himself -- he's already said
he's 10 pounds lighter than he was at this time last year -- I think he can still play cornerback. The position is all about vision, formation recognition and down-and-distance tendencies -- he's always been great at those things. He's struggled at various times in zone, though, that I don't think playing safety will ever be an option for Revis.
Dallas or even the
Giants would be options for him. The G-Men have a loaded defense, and putting a mind like Revis' in to lead a talent-packed defense could be a huge problem for the rest of the league. But if he's going after the paycheck, he'll be better off in Dallas or somewhere else, because he won't get the big bucks in New York again.
Darrelle Revis can still play, but he needs to find a zone scheme or a team that won't put him in man coverage all the time. I could see Revis in Dallas because Rod Marinelli runs a simple two-deep or three-deep type of defense. The
Cowboys don't blitz a lot because they're not in man. Plus, this would be a great spot for Revis if he's looking to play for a contender.
