LSU’s push to strengthen its roster got another boost after a Baton Rouge court ruling opened the door for the program to add former professional players, and now the Tigers are working to bring in former Utah and Denver Broncos cornerback Blake Cotton.
The legal proceedings that cleared the way stretched through nearly the entire day in Baton Rouge, starting at 11 a.m. CT.
During the hearing, the court called SEC commissioner Greg Sankey to the stand, along with Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris. A Baton Rouge court ultimately ruled in LSU’s favor on the issue of adding those former professional players to the roster.
Cotton would be a significant piece for LSU’s secondary. At 6-foot-2, he played 13 games last season at Utah and made eight starts. He finished with 30 tackles, two tackles for loss and seven pass breakups.
Before that, Cotton spent three seasons at UC Davis and then used his fourth season of eligibility at Utah. He went undrafted in April, but the Broncos signed him on June 18 after he had impressed during camp practices on June 16 and 17.
His path to Denver included stops at rookie minicamps with the Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers, though neither team offered him a contract. Denver then brought him in two weeks before its mandatory minicamp.
For LSU, the need is clear. Cotton would add experience to a cornerback room that needs depth badly, and his background could matter as the Tigers move through the season with a young and under-staffed group.
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