The feeling here is that McCourty’s move was a result of a safety shortage in the eyes of the coaching staff, not that the position was his best fit. Outside of Patrick Chung and James Ihedigbo, the staff didn’t seem to have confidence in any of their other options at safety at the end of the year, which sparked the McCourty move. Assuming McCourty is back at cornerback full-time in 2012, the depth chart would start with him, and a question of whether he can return to 2010 form. McCourty would be followed by Kyle Arrington, Ras-I Dowling and Sterling Moore on the depth chart. Antwaun Molden, a free agent-to-be who performed well on special teams, could return to compete for a roster spot along with any other additions in the draft or free agency. In the end, the Patriots’ picture at cornerback is tied mostly to McCourty and Dowling, the 2011 second-round pick who the staff was clearly high on before he sustained a hip injury that ended his rookie season after just two games.
Mike Reiss
New England Patriots Blog – ESPN Boston
A lot of people are projecting McCourty to safety as a permanent move but I’m with Reiss. I think he’ll be back at corner for mini-camps and training camp. Not to say he’d never go back to safety, but I still think long term he’s a corner.
Dowling is an interesting one. If you’ll remember he missed a lot of camp and was then suddenly starting in the season opener. I think this shows the staff sees a lot of potential in him. Clearly he has some size that the Patriots lack in the secondary, and it’s likely that the Patriots saw he had some ability to play man. His return to health could be a big factor in 2012.