Leigh Bodden Agrees in Principle With Patriots

Hold off on the celebration for now, but it looks like Bodden is returning

Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com reports:

Free-agent cornerback Leigh Bodden has reached an agreement in principle to return to the New England Patriots, ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reports.

Bodden, who spent today in Houston visiting the Texans, had also been keeping an open dialogue with the Patriots. While an agreement in principle has been reached with New England, Bodden’s agent, Alvin Keels, cautioned that no contract has been signed at this point.

“Reports of Leigh Bodden re-signing with the Patriots are not true and premature at best,” Keels wrote on his Twitter account. “Leigh is still evaluating his options. Leigh has always indicated his desire to return to New England, but nothing is official and probably will not be until [tomorrow] at the earliest.”

Essentially, what Keels is saying is that the two sides have a deal in place, but Bodden has yet to sign the actual contract, meaning nothing is official as of yet.  If this is true, and barring any hiccups in the contract being signed, bringing back Bodden will be huge for the Patriots.

Bodden, in my opinion, is a #1 cornerback in this league.  To prove this to you, I bring in data from ProFootballFocus.com.  According to their rankings, Bodden was the 14th best cornerback in the league last year.  He was 13th best against the pass and 13th against the run.  Only 50% of passes thrown his way were completions, good for tenth in the league.  Lastly, his average QB rating of all passes thrown his way was just 59.3, good for 13th in the league.  What does all of this tell us?  It tells us that Bodden is a top 15, starting, #1 cornerback in this league.  With his blend of physical play at the line, his excellent man coverage, and ability to step up against the run, the Patriots will be lucky to have Bodden back in the fold.

With a potential return of Bodden, the Patriots would have him, Shawn Springs, Jonathan Wilhite, Darius Butler, Terrence Wheatley, and Kyle Arrington on the roster at the position.  Bodden would be starting on one side, while Springs, Wilhite, and Butler would battle it out for the other starting position (although Butler and Wilhite will have to man the slot position as well).

If the agreement holds, this move will really solidify the Patriots’ secondary.