Should the Eagles Sign Brandon Flowers?

Dec 8, 2013; Landover, MD, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Brandon Flowers (24) defends the pass by Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) during the second half at FedEx Field. The Chiefs won 45 – 10. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Free agent cornerback Brandon Flowers in my opinion is one of the more underrated cornerbacks in the league. Obviously this is a weird thing to say considering everyone sees him as one of the better cornerbacks in the league. Based on how much of a difference he can make on a team as a shut down cornerback I have him barely a step under the likes of Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman and New England Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis. This is why it was so shocking to me when the Kansas City Chiefs cut him from their team.

Honestly what I found to be the most surprising thing about the cutting of Flowers was that the Chiefs had the opportunity to get his replacement in the draft through the very talented former Michigan State Spartan and current Cincinnati Bengal cornerback Darqueze Dennard and instead they opted to draft former Auburn Tiger defensive end Dee Ford. Ford is a very talented pass rusher, however the Chiefs already had the best pass rush duo in football with defensive end Justin Houston and defensive end Tamba Hali.

The fact of the matter is that I believe the Chiefs are going to regret this Brandon Flowers situation, but that doesn’t mean the Eagles should walk away with regrets too, which brings me to my main point. Should the Eagles bring in Brandon Flowers? This is a similar situation to when Darrelle Revis was available after being cut earlier in free agency. The difference is that Revis was a higher profile player and cost the Patriots what I can assume will be much more than Flowers will cost. On top of that he is a year older than Flowers and was only willing to sign a very short term deal with the Patriots whereas Flowers may be willing to sign a longer deal with the Eagles. Revis is probably a better player and the Eagles were not able to sign him, why should they be able to or even want to bring in Brandon Flowers.

Nov 17, 2013; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Darrelle Revis (24) against the Atlanta Falcons during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Atlanta Falcons 41-28. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Brandon Flowers was cut by the Chiefs because he didn’t want to play in their system anymore, where he spent a lot of time as the nickel cornerback on downs where they knew the offense would be passing. The reason I believe he would be a great fit for the Eagles is because he can do everything. Revis is an incredible man coverage defender, but struggled when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers tried to use him as a zone coverage defender. Flowers can do everything well, and while the Eagles defense may not be the best fit scheme wise for Flowers, add him to a group of corners that already has cornerbacks Cary Williams, Bradley Fletcher and Nolan Carroll (plus rookie safety/cornerback Jaylen Watkins depending how the Eagles use him) and you have a great secondary in Philadelphia for the first time in a long time. The best part about the possibility of adding Flowers to the Eagles defense is that it gives Eagles head coach Chip Kelly the ability to do something that he loves to do which is continuously rotate in and out defenders so he can always have fresh legs on the field.

The bottom line is that I believe Brandon Flowers would be a great fit for the Eagles, and unlike Darrelle Revis he wouldn’t cost so much that they risk having a repeat of the Nnamdi Asomugha incident. Especially since they would expect different results from Flowers than they had hoped for from Asomugha.