I Don't Care If The Packers Lose Davon House In Free Agency

I often think about CB Davon House when the topic of free agency comes up, but I never think enough to write about him. He graded out in 2014 by Pro Football Focus as an average cornerback and he might be a relative bargain (CB Byron Maxwell is going to be paid a ton by the Eagles and PFF rated him lower than House last season) but he had very tough time earning the coaches' trust over the past four seasons.

#Packers CB Davon House viewed as top free-agent bargain via @ESPNInsider. http://t.co/3dAMxdPCMY
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) March 9, 2015

Early in the 2014 season, I was wondering why he played so much at the expense of Casey Hayward. When Sam Shields was hurt mid-season, House replaced him for a couple games and his worst game of the season happened in New Orleans as Shields's replacement, which was also the only game of the season when he played on nearly every snap. After his bad game against the Saints (I thought Drew Brees picked on him in coverage and PFF gave him a huge negative grade for poor tackling on Mark Ingram) he played sparingly down the stretch. His only significant late season playing time came in their win over the Patriots, and he didn't look great in that game either.

The big problem with House is his inconsistency. At 6-0 he's taller than many cornerbacks and he can make some great one-on-one plays downfield in coverage. But then he zones out for a game or two and the coaches lose faith in him for several weeks. That pattern seems to happen to him every season.

The Packers are already paying a lot for Sam Shields and maybe Tramon Williams if he returns (despite the age gap, I'd much rather see Williams back than House). Plus I'd rather see them give Casey Hayward a big contract extension over House. He didn't look like a better cornerback than any of those three guys last season, and I see no reason why he should be paid more than any of them either.

Some team might make a significant contract offer because he does look good at times (some GMs might blink while watching his blown coverage/missed tackles on film) and he's a young, healthy free agent with experience. But he'll be stretched as a 16 game starter and I don't expect his next employer will be thrilled with the player they've signed.