Robert McClain goes from couch to Carolina Panthers cornerback

Carolina Panthers cornerback Robert McClain cut an odd figure this past fall at Gary Pirkle Park in suburban Atlanta, where the former Falcons defensive back worked on his backpedal among parents pushing jogging strollers and youth soccer teams beginning their practices.

McClain spent mornings working out on the artificial turf fields at the park, then would draw or paint during the afternoon while waiting for the phone to ring.

It rang a lot.

McClain worked out for 10 NFL teams over three months after he was released by New England on Sept. 5 as part of the Patriots’ final roster cuts. McClain said the Panthers and nine other teams told him he was in shape and looked good, but they didn’t have a spot for him.

Then Panthers corner Bené Benwikere broke a bone in his leg against Atlanta on Dec. 13 and McClain was on his way to Charlotte two days later.

“It was kind of a waiting game. I was getting kind of impatient because my last workout was with Cincinnati (on Nov. 30) and I was like, I’m tired of this,” McClain said Wednesday. “It was toward the end of the season. God had other plans for me and the plans were to come here.”

But no one could have planned for McClain to go from a part-time artist drawing in his home studio to a full-time starter for a playoff-bound team in a matter of a couple of weeks.

But injuries to Benwikere and veteran corner Charles Tillman, who tore his ACL in Week 17 against Tampa Bay, put McClain in the starting spot opposite Pro Bowler Josh Norman.

Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott says McClain’s preparedness has paid off.

“He was on his couch – whatever they say – for a number of weeks, but he kept himself ready. And the same goes (against Tampa Bay). He kept himself ready,” McDermott said. “He knew the game plan and came in and executed the game plan and got himself a big interception and probably sealed the game at that point.”

After Tillman was injured during the fourth play of the second half against the Bucs, McClain replaced him and made seven tackles. He also picked off Jameis Winston early in the fourth quarter for his fourth career interception.

Second stint with Panthers

It’s all happened in a hurry for a former UConn player the Panthers drafted in the seventh round in 2010. That was the year the Panthers had purged their roster and finished 2-14 in John Fox’s final season, which McClain says was all a blur.

“It was tough, being a rookie that year,” he said. “I didn’t know as much as I thought I knew.”

The Panthers waived McClain at the end of 2011 preseason in Ron Rivera’s first year in Charlotte. He was with Jacksonville briefly that season, before becoming a part-time starter for the Falcons from 2012-14.

New England signed McClain in March, and he made five tackles against the Panthers during a preseason game in August.

After the Patriots cut him, McClain didn’t have any trouble lining up workouts. Getting a contract was another story.

“When you put on the tape and you watch Robert McClain from the preseason, you do wonder why he wasn’t on a roster,” Rivera said. “I thought the tape looked pretty good.”

McClain joined free agent corners Cortland Finnegan and Bradley Fletcher for a Nov. 27 workout with the Panthers, who were looking for help at nickel. They went with Finnegan, but reached back out to McClain two weeks later when Benwikere went down against the Falcons.

Finnegan says it seems he and McClain were meant to wind up together in Charlotte.

“He said he had so many different workouts and the fact that this was his calling,” Finnegan said. “You have so many workouts and finally this is the team that’s undefeated that gives you a call.”

‘Pretty good comfort level’

Both players have been thrust into prominent roles for the Panthers (15-1), who host a divisional-round game Jan. 17 against Seattle, Green Bay or Washington. Regardless of the opponent, McClain expects to hear a lot of chatter next week about how Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers or Kirk Cousins will test him rather than throwing to Norman’s side.

“I don’t listen to any of that hype or any of the things like the quarterback’s picking on this guy, that guy. They’re going to throw the ball where they want to throw the ball,” McClain said. “My job is to cover my receiver, just go out there and do my job. And when a ball comes my way, make a play on it.”

Rivera said he might be worried about relying on a pair of newcomers in the secondary during the playoffs if Finnegan and McClain weren’t veterans.

“If we were talking about playing two straight-off-the-street rookies, there’d be some concern. But these are guys that have played in big games that have contributed to teams winning football games. So there’s a pretty good comfort level,” Rivera said. “I’m not going to say they’ve got it down completely. But they’re still learning and competing.”

At 5-foot-9 and 195 pounds, McClain is five inches is shorter than Tillman and smaller than McDermott’s preference in corners.

McDermott says McClain’s understanding of the game helps him make up for his lack of size. McClain draws inspiration from Miami’s Brent Grimes, the 5-foot-10 Pro Bowl corner who was McClain’s teammate in Atlanta.

“It’s just about your heart,” McClain said. “Guys can be 5-5, 5-4 and be an awesome player out there. Everybody always said Brent Grimes is small. That’s one of my close friends and he just makes plays on the ball.”

After a long wait and a lot of tryouts last fall, McClain is getting the chance to do the same.

This story was originally published January 6, 2016 at 6:10 PM with the headline "Robert McClain goes from couch to Carolina Panthers cornerback."