Mason's top free-agent cornerbacks

Given the Patriots' cap room, it would seem short-sighted to place anything but a first-round tender on Butler -- and with an estimated $3.85 million value, that would be excellent value. But even then, a team with cap room and a willingness to part with a first-round pick might step in and force the Patriots' hand.

Bouye had a career year last season -- just in time to get a big payday. But he was a backup as recently the first month of the 2016 regular season. Is his breakout season the start of a trend or a fluke? That will determine whether the team that signs him gets good value from his contract.

Placing a second consecutive franchise tag on Johnson would mean incurring a prohibitive cost, but if the Rams don't do so, he seems to be a good bet to move on to another team.

A new defensive staff and scheme in Buffalo put matters into tumult. A month ago, he didn't express a desire to specifically return to Buffalo in a return to NFL.com, instead, he said, "I want to be wanted wherever I go."

With Malcolm Butler on the other side, no other AFC cornerback was thrown at more often last year than Ryan, who was targeted 105 times, according to ProFootballFocus.com. He doesn't prevent receptions, but he does limit the damage after the catch, and is one of the best tackling cornerbacks in the game.

Injuries are the biggest concern for Claiborne, who played just seven games last year before suffering a groin injury that sidelined him until he returned in the postseason. Claiborne played just 23 of a possible 51 games (including playoffs) the last three seasons. When he plays, he's a legitimate No. 1 cornerback, a physical defender who can be counted on against big, elite receivers ... but can he ever stay healthy?

Cornerback was one of the few bright spots in a dismal Jaguars season, as Amukamara and Jalen Ramsey became one of the AFC's best duos. Amukmara's consistent play should earn him a two-to-three-year deal after responding on a one-year "prove-it" contract. The decision will come down to Tom Coughlin, now back with the Jaguars overseeing football operations; he drafted Amukamara with the Giants.

All you have to do is watch the footage of his work against the Broncos in a December 2014 game at Paul Brown Stadium to see his potential in terms of anticipating and making plays on the football. He told ESPN.com just before the end of the season, "I love this [Bengals] organization," adding, "I want to think like we will get it done."

He's still effective; according to ProFootballFocus.com, opposing quarterbacks had a 62.0 rating when they targeted him last year, the sixth-lowest in the NFL. He'll be 39 by Week 1 of this coming season, but he seems ageless.

As a wise man once told me, "There's a reason why some teams win and some teams lose." The Bills haven't made the playoffs this century. The Steelers have 11 playoff appearances and two world championships in that same span. The Bills cut Cockrell at the 2015 roster deadline. The Steelers scooped him up and found a player who helped reverse a few years of declining play for them at the position.

Munnerlyn has been among the league's most solid slot cornerbacks for most of the 2010s, and since he broke into the NFL at age 21, he'll be just 29 this year in his ninth season. Bad games are rare for Munnerlyn, and even if the Vikings opt to get younger at cornerback, he should have a few more years of solid work in the slot ahead of him.

Forced to move to safety last season, Butler delivered some solid play, but he still is best serves a cornerback -- and he feels he has plenty in the tank to handle it. "I'm 30 now, but I feel like I have a lot of football left," he told Colts.com in January. "My body feels good."

A breakthrough season last year ended badly, with a torn ACL suffered in the Seahawks' divisional-round loss to the Falcons. That could prove costly to Shead's bottom line, because it might drop the tender the Seahawks give him.

McKelvin still has the athleticism for the job, but opposing QBs had a 113.0 rating throwing at him last year, according to ProFootballFocus.com, and missed time last year because of a concussion and a hamstring injury.

Shields still has the talent, but perhaps not the health; after he missed the last 16 weeks and the entire postseason following a week 1 concussion, he told the Wisconsin State Journal in January that he still had occasional headaches.

He should received a low tender after a season that saw him have some solid games early in the season, but wasn't the same when he returned after a midseason ankle injury.

Although he doesn't have the ceiling of teammate Morris Claiborne and didn't live up to the expectations of a contract that paid him $10 million a year, he is durable; he's never missed a game in his nine-season career.

A late addition to the list after the Bucs cut him, Verner is another cornerback who didn't play up to his big contract, starting just nine games over the last two seasons.

Hall hasn't been a full-time starter since 2014. Although he can provide quality depth, at 32 years old, age appears to be catching up with him.

Many pundits thought the Raiders reached when they made Hayden a first-round pick in 2013. and although he's a solid cornerback, those assessments appear to be correct. A fresh start somewhere else might help him reach his potential.