Week 6 Advanced Coverage Grade Report: Best defenders in PFF's advanced coverage grade

2Y7WC3C New York Jets cornerback D.J. Reed (4) reacts taking the field during an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

D.J. Reed takes the top spot: Reed has been a model of consistency over the past five years, earning coverage grades between 71.4 and 80.4. In 2024, he’s elevated his game even further, forcing an incompletion on 36.4% of his targets while allowing just 0.29 yards per coverage snap and only three first downs all season.

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Estimated reading time: 3 minutes


It’s never too early to start preparing for next season, and for PFF, that means looking at ways to improve PFF Premium Stats.

One exciting option is to introduce more data. And to find out which stats resonate most with you, we’ll be offering select data outside of Premium Stats to see what grabs your interest.

This week, we're introducing a metric called “Advanced Coverage Grade,” which adds even more context to PFF's traditional coverage grade.

What is Advanced Coverage Grade?

Advanced coverage grade uses machine learning to map the separation allowed on a play to the expected PFF coverage grade the player would have earned had they been targeted. This system also factors in the difficulty of the assignment and situation when making that assessment.

The variables considered for assignment and situation include play position, player assignment within coverage, overall coverage scheme, safety rotation, press coverage, route depth and play action.

Going old school, this is a +/- grading system, though 0 doesn't necessarily represent expected or average results.

Advanced coverage grade through Week 5 of the 2024 NFL season (min. 25 snaps)

Rank Cornerback Team Advanced Cov. Grade Advanced Cov. Grade Percentile
1 D.J. Reed New York Jets 5.524 98.58%
2 Christian Benford Buffalo Bills 5.01 97.58%
3 Trent McDuffie Kansas City Chiefs 4.066 94.87%
4 Marlon Humphrey Baltimore Ravens 3.974 94.35%
5 Jourdan Lewis Dallas Cowboys 3.728 92.90%
6 Zyon McCollum Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3.501 91.54%
7 Jaylon Johnson Chicago Bears 3.496 91.50%
8 Pat Surtain II Denver Broncos 3.294 90.16%
9 Riley Moss Denver Broncos 3.109 88.92%
10 Jalen Pitre Houston Texans 3.046 88.65%
11 Ja'Quan McMillian Denver Broncos 2.906 87.43%
12 Noah Igbinoghene Washington Commanders 2.843 86.73%
13 Amik Robertson Detroit Lions 2.781 86.00%
14 Garrett Williams Arizona Cardinals 2.763 85.80%
15 Tariq Woolen Seattle Seahawks 2.721 85.44%
16 Jamel Dean Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2.713 85.30%
17 Jonathan Jones New England Patriots 2.694 85.10%
18 Kenny Moore II Indianapolis Colts 2.679 84.98%
19 Denzel Ward Cleveland Browns 2.665 84.89%
20 Jalen Ramsey Miami Dolphins 2.652 84.78%
21 Sauce Gardner New York Jets 2.63 84.53%
22 Kristian Fulton Los Angeles Chargers 2.603 84.19%
23 Deommodore Lenoir San Francisco 49ers 2.477 82.79%
24 Jarrian Jones Jacksonville Jaguars 2.42 81.93%
25 Derek Stingley Jr. Houston Texans 2.405 81.75%
26 Tykee Smith Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2.357 81.18%
27 Brandon Stephens Baltimore Ravens 2.294 80.62%
28 Jaylen Watson Kansas City Chiefs 2.223 79.81%
29 Joey Porter Jr. Pittsburgh Steelers 2.191 79.44%
30 Samuel Womack III Indianapolis Colts 2.075 77.93%
31 Isaac Yiadom San Francisco 49ers 2.073 77.86%
32 Nate Hobbs Las Vegas Raiders 2.071 77.82%
33 Ja'Marcus Ingram Buffalo Bills 2.039 77.57%
34 Montaric Brown Jacksonville Jaguars 2.028 77.39%
35 Marshon Lattimore New Orleans Saints 1.928 75.92%
36 Kool-Aid McKinstry New Orleans Saints 1.921 75.83%
37 Carlton Davis III Detroit Lions 1.867 74.92%
38 Quinyon Mitchell Philadelphia Eagles 1.823 74.40%
39 Darius Slay Philadelphia Eagles 1.797 74.11%
40 Marcus Jones New England Patriots 1.774 73.88%
41 Mike Hilton Cincinnati Bengals 1.773 73.84%
42 Deonte Banks New York Giants 1.773 73.81%
43 Mike Jackson Carolina Panthers 1.702 72.95%
44 Christian Gonzalez New England Patriots 1.694 72.84%
45 Alontae Taylor New Orleans Saints 1.691 72.73%
46 Jaire Alexander Green Bay Packers 1.628 72.09%
47 Avonte Maddox Philadelphia Eagles 1.579 71.57%
48 Rasul Douglas Buffalo Bills 1.566 71.39%
49 Ronald Darby Jacksonville Jaguars 1.42 69.56%
50 Jaylon Jones Indianapolis Colts 1.402 69.34%
51 Kyler Gordon Chicago Bears 1.379 68.97%
52 Jaycee Horn Carolina Panthers 1.34 68.43%
53 Troy Hill Carolina Panthers 1.29 67.66%
54 Stephon Gilmore Minnesota Vikings 1.282 67.62%
55 Dax Hill Cincinnati Bengals 1.271 67.37%
56 Donte Jackson Pittsburgh Steelers 1.233 66.85%
57 Roger McCreary Tennessee Titans 1.233 66.82%
58 Tre'Davious White Los Angeles Rams 1.226 66.69%
59 Benjamin St-Juste Washington Commanders 1.208 66.46%
60 Shaquill Griffin Minnesota Vikings 1.17 65.74%
61 Mike Hughes Atlanta Falcons 1.105 64.79%
62 Greg Newsome II Cleveland Browns 1.1 64.61%
63 Byron Murphy Jr. Minnesota Vikings 1.098 64.59%
64 Cor'Dale Flott New York Giants 1.065 64.18%
65 Paulson Adebo New Orleans Saints 1.015 63.43%
66 Jack Jones Las Vegas Raiders 0.97 62.89%
67 A.J. Terrell Atlanta Falcons 0.959 62.66%
68 Kamari Lassiter Houston Texans 0.864 61.24%
69 Kendall Fuller Miami Dolphins 0.83 60.70%
70 Keisean Nixon Green Bay Packers 0.748 59.34%
71 Devon Witherspoon Seattle Seahawks 0.743 59.27%
72 Charvarius Ward San Francisco 49ers 0.701 58.80%
73 Beanie Bishop Jr. Pittsburgh Steelers 0.695 58.71%
74 Quentin Lake Los Angeles Rams 0.611 57.60%
75 Jakorian Bennett Las Vegas Raiders 0.564 57.08%
76 Tre Brown Seattle Seahawks 0.554 57.03%
77 DJ Turner II Cincinnati Bengals 0.479 56.13%
78 Mike Sainristil Washington Commanders 0.409 55.27%
79 Starling Thomas V Arizona Cardinals 0.354 54.68%
80 Trevon Diggs Dallas Cowboys 0.271 53.51%
81 Kader Kohou Miami Dolphins 0.248 53.19%
82 Dee Alford Atlanta Falcons 0.217 52.62%
83 Nazeeh Johnson Kansas City Chiefs 0.201 52.33%
84 Terrion Arnold Detroit Lions 0.153 51.47%
85 L'Jarius Sneed Tennessee Titans 0.053 45.18%
86 Asante Samuel Jr. Los Angeles Chargers 0.049 44.87%
87 Michael Carter II New York Jets -0.043 14.61%
88 Tyrique Stevenson Chicago Bears -0.087 9.88%
89 Caelen Carson Dallas Cowboys -0.277 5.74%
90 Eric Stokes Green Bay Packers -0.441 4.73%
91 Nate Wiggins Baltimore Ravens -0.56 3.91%
92 Sean Murphy-Bunting Arizona Cardinals -0.612 3.64%
93 Cobie Durant Los Angeles Rams -0.63 3.51%
94 Cam Taylor-Britt Cincinnati Bengals -0.922 2.33%
95 Martin Emerson Jr. Cleveland Browns -1.722 0.52%

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