After tonites game how many DB's wil be kept?

[joecrisp]

After watching the game again (saw it live at FedEx, then got to watch it again on TV this morning), I'm going to go with the following DBs:

CB:
Smoot
Springs
Harris
Rufus Brown
A. Jimoh

Safety:
Taylor
Lott
Bowen

That puts Wilds, Bauman, Franz and Clark on the cut list. I would expect Wilds to be signed to the practice squad if he isn't picked up by another team.

Harris is a savvy vet, and a guy that will be a very solid nickelback once he gets back into game shape, which should be soon.

The reason I'm putting Rufus on the final roster is that he has looked very solid in run support, and he appears to have better coverage skills than Wilds at this point.

Now I can hear the chorus of boos and snickers when I mention Jimoh's name, but I really think you guys are being a little hard on the guy. Having watched this kid in a lot of practices, both as a cornerback and special teams player, as well as reviewing his play in the preseason games, I really don't see what you guys think is so horrible about him.

The negativity towards Jimoh seems to be mostly a product of some misplays on his part last season, and to judge him solely on a few plays that went wrong in his rookie season in a poorly designed defensive scheme, I think is a little harsh. I really think his coverage skills have improved a lot, and he's only going to get better as he gains experience and improves his recognition and technique. But he is also another corner that has good size, is very good against the run, a good blitzer with a lot of speed, and a solid special teams player. Those are four qualities that make a young defensive back a good candidate to grab a roster spot on Gregg Williams' defensive unit.

I've seen Wilds make too many mistakes, while Bauman, Franz and Clark simply haven't made enough plays to outshine Rufus Brown and Jimoh.

Lott and Bowen are both versatile safeties, capable of playing the free or strong sides, and in my mind, are essentially interchangeable next to Taylor. Yes, Bowen has shown little reason to keep him around as a coverage safety, but Lott fits that bill, and I expect Lott to be inserted as the pass situation safety, while Bowen becomes more of the blitzing, run-stuffing safety when Williams puts eight men in the box. Let's not give up on Bowen so quickly. He may prove to be more effective in this defense.