”I’ve been told I will be starting, so we’ll see what happens,” Clayton said. “It’s a lot of opportunity for every wide receiver that will be out there…This is one I’ve been waiting for. It’s a tremendous opportunity. It couldn’t have come at a better time. It’s early in the season, so I’ll get a lot of plays out there.”

“I mean, look, everybody goes in and says, ‘These are Rod’s guys’ or whatever. We’re football players. We were brought here to play football. So if Rod was here or Rod wasn’t here, the type of defense we play just so happens to be the type of defense we played in. I’m … We’re getting real sick of hearing this whole ‘Rod’s guys.’ Everybody in this room is Rod’s guys.”

Currently on the Roster – Ronde Barber, Phillip Buchanon, Torrie Cox, Sammie Davis, Marcus Hamilton, Darrel Hunter, Elbert Mack, Aqib Talib, Eugene Wilson

Guaranteed Spots – Ronde, PBuc, Talib, Wilson

Ronde should continue to hold his customary spot as the floater in the defensive backfield, providing a variety of services ranging from blitzing to roving to playing man coverage.  The most compelling story and battle of camp to me is the position of the number 2 corner, or truly, what I consider the number 1 corner spot on our roster.  Ronde has never been a man corner in the true sense of the word.  First round pick Aqib Talib has been called the “future face of this franchise” this offseason by HC Jon Gruden, so I would have to imagine that he has been impressive thus far.  Buchanon has done a great job since coming over from the Texans.  Everyone said he couldn’t tackle a schoolgirl when he got here, but I think the return of Raheem Morris last year has really helped him blossom.  Wilson is a guy who played CB in college, and played a little CB and FS in New England.  He was always a guy I enjoyed watching on the field.  All three of these guys have the chance to start opposite of Ronde.  When we move to nickel, which is often, 2 of these 3 guys will see the field as the primary corners, with Ronde covering the slot receiver.

No Chance – Darrel Hunter, Elbert Mack

Battling for Spots – Torrie Cox, Sammie Davis, Marcus Hamilton

I would expect Marcus Hamilton to be placed on the Practice Squad.  We most likely will carry 5 corners, so TCox and Sammie Davis have a camp battle on their hands.  Cox is a great special teams player immediately giving him an edge in that regard.   I liked that promise shown last year though out of former first round pick Sammie Davis.  He appears to have the higher ceiling and better coverage skills, so my guess would be Davis is the last CB on the roster.

At one point, Kelly was the only solid man to man coverage CB this team had. The last few seasons though, fans and coaches have gotten used to not seeing much of Kelly, as injuries (including the dreaded foot injury for corners) have kept him out of the lineup more often that he has been in it.