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NFL Week 6 cornerback rankings

2T15XYC Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch (32) runs on the field during introductions before an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons in Detroit, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Brian Branch gets on top: Branch climbed to the top of the rankings after down weeks for Darious Williams and Kendall Fuller.

Sauce Gardner leaps into the top three: After uncharacteristically giving up 11 catches in the first two games, Gardner has allowed just seven over the last three games with just two going for first downs.

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Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes


If quarterback is the most important position on the football field, then limiting the effectiveness of that player is the most important thing a defense can do.

A team can do this in two ways: It can pressure the passer to disrupt his timing, rhythm and accuracy, or it can shut down the opposing receivers.

Each week, after every NFL game is graded and reviewed, PFF will check in on the top cornerbacks of the 2023 season. These rankings will drastically change over the first month, as one interception, one missed tackle or one deep completion can dramatically alter a player's grade when the sample size is small. But as snap counts rise, the grades will stabilize, and we'll get a clearer picture of the league's best corners.

These rankings will combine PFF coverage grades with our Successful Coverage Over Expected (SCOE) data, which looks at how well each coverage defender performed on non-targeted coverage snaps, as we grade every coverage defender’s ability to prevent separation whether they are targeted on the play or not.

WR:CB Matchup Chart

Here are the top 32 cornerbacks for the 2023 season through Week 5. For more grades and statistics on the league's best cornerbacks, check out PFF Premium Stats.

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