Is this the beginning of the end for Darrelle Revis?
New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis (24) during the second half of the Washington Redskins at the NY Jets on Sunday October 18, 2015. Credit: Lee S. Weissman / Lee S. Weissman
The first hint that DeAndre Hopkins would expose Darrelle Revis as something less than the player we've grown accustomed to -- namely, one of the best cover cornerbacks in NFL history -- occurred long before Hopkins embarrassed Revis on a post route late in the second quarter of the Texans' 24-17 win Sunday.
It came on the fourth play of the game. Even if hardly anyone paid attention.
After Hopkins beat Revis on a 5-yard pass from T.J. Yates at the Houston 31, Texans offensive coordinator George Godsey wanted to see exactly what he had in this long-awaited one-on-one matchup. He had Hopkins run a "go" route up the right sideline, forcing Revis to prove he could stay with him stride-for-stride.
It is a pattern Revis has covered countless times during his brilliant NFL career, mostly with success. He has built a reputation as a tenacious cover corner by regularly matching up against the opposing team's best receiver.
But you could tell something wasn't right on this pattern. Hopkins beat Revis cleanly down the sideline, and Revis' usual extra burst toward the end of a route simply wasn't there. Hopkins was at least two strides ahead and easily would have had a touchdown had Yates not badly overthrown him.
Late in the second quarter, Hopkins beat Revis by a similar margin -- and this time, Yates threw perfectly over Revis' outstretched hands. Hopkins raced into the end zone for a 61-yard touchdown to give the Texans a 10-3 lead.
"Just a post," Hopkins said. "I ran a post and got open. [Revis] is a great defensive back. You've got to give him a lot of credit. You know, I just came out and put my hard haton and I was ready to play. Times like this, for a great defensive back and a young receiver, not a lot of people have me in their eyes. So I know it was a big chip on my shoulder to go out there and play extra hard."
By halftime, Hopkins had four catches for 98 yards and a touchdown, numbers that Revis rarely sees for an entire game from the man he's covering. He wound up suffering a concussion while tackling running back Akeem Hunt in the third quarter and was out the rest of the game. He now is in the NFL's concussion protocol, and his status for Sunday against the Dolphins is in question.
"Any time somebody gets a concussion, you're kind of pessimistic about them for the next week," Jets coach Todd Bowles said. "Some people recover faster than others, so I'm just going to have to wait and see."
Revis has been mostly effective in his first season back with the Jets, even if some pundits, most notably former Cowboys safety Darren Woodson on ESPN, say his skills are declining.
The question: Are we indeed seeing the beginning of an erosion of Revis' skills? Or was he dealing with some physical limitations? He was listed on the injury report during the week with a hip issue.
The fact that Revis is 30 isn't necessarily an indication that he is about to irreversibly decline. Other great cornerbacks have played well into their 30s at a high level, including Hall of Famer Darrell Green (who played until he was 42 and was a starter at age 39) and Champ Bailey (a starter until age 34).
Ty Law, Revis' fellow native of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, and early role model, played until age 35, was a starter at 33 and had 10 interceptions for the Jets at 30.
But it isn't too soon to at least bring up the question, along with the fact that the Jets are tied to Revis with a huge financial commitment. They signed him to a five-year, $70-million deal in the offseason, $39 million of it guaranteed. The Jets are on the hook for $16 million in salary this year, $17 million in 2017 and $10 million in 2018 and 2019.
If Revis' play shows serious slippage, there's no chance he will play out the entire deal -- at least not as a cornerback.
There's always the chance that Revis, like other great corners whose coverage skills decline, will convert to safety.
He's an extremely smart and agile player who most likely could make the transition, as Charles Woodson did during his later days with the Packers and now with the Raiders. Woodson, 39, remains a viable player and has no immediate plans to retire. By the end of his Jets contract, Revis would be 34.
Bowles, a former NFL safety who knows plenty about the value of defensive backs, surely will know if and when the time is right to either convert Revis to a new position or pull the plug on his career if Revis' coverage skills rapidly decline.
In the meantime, the Jets will keep a close eye on just what they have. Until he's cleared from his concussion, that will have to wait. But after what we saw Sunday, there is legitimate cause for concern.
Bob Glauber retired in 2022 after covering the NFL for nearly 40 years. He was selected in 2021 for the Bill Nunn Career Achievement Award by the Pro Football Writers of America, and is a three-time winner of the New York State Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. President of the PFWA for the 2018-20 seasons, he is the author of “The Forgotten First” and “Guts and Genius.”
