Philadelphia Eagles: Has The Secondary Really Improved?

After four straight years of having a deplorable secondary, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly set out this offseason with one thing in mind: fix the secondary. After numerous moves in free agency and the draft, has the Eagles secondary really improved?

First let’s take a look at the returners from last year’s squad. The only starter returning from the 2014 Eagles season is Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins. Jenkins certainly had his ups and downs last year, but he was a good safety; possibly the best safety the Eagles have had since losing all-time great Brian Dawkins. At any rate, Jenkins provides leadership and fits the Eagles scheme very well, so it’s a good thing he’s back.

As far as returners who got any notable playing time last year, Eagles slot corner Brandon Boykin is about it. Boykin enters the final year of his contract this year. He has become one of the best slot corners in the league, but it’s important to note that he wants to be an outside cornerback (and get paid like one) so after next year he’s likely gone.

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The rest of the pool of returning players is comprised mostly of special teams specialists or guys who really haven’t done much in their time with the Eagles. Eagles safety Earl Wolff, a 2013 5th-round pick, returns from knee surgery as the favorite to win the starting job next to Jenkins. Aside from Wolff, no one else really figures to contend for a starting spot unless they make leaps and bounds this offseason.

The two notable cuts from this group are starting cornerbacks Cary Williams, now with the Seahawks, and Bradley Fletcher, now with the Patriots. Fletcher had to adjust his game to new NFL stringencies on hand use and suffered immensely last season. Fletcher got burned repeatedly and cost us games so I’m sure most fans will join me in saying good riddance. Williams was a decent starter, but not great in coverage.

Knowing that the secondary has been the biggest weakness on this team, Kelly set out in free agency to fix this. First, he signed former Seahawks cornerback Byron Maxwell to a huge contract. Maxwell played pretty well, but there are fears that he was a product of the system and the guys around him in Seattle. The other notable free agent was another former Legion of Boom member in Walter Thurmond. Thurmond, however is injured more often than not.

In the draft, the Eagles picked up what might be another starting cornerback in the second round in Utah’s Eric Rowe. Rowe was a former safety converted to cornerback, so that versatility was something Kelly and defensive coordinator Billy Davis must have coveted a lot. In the sixth round, Kelly added Kansas’ JaCorey Shepherd and Kansas State’s Randall Evans. Shepherd has tremendous ball skills, was a former wide receiver, and returned punts for Kansas. Evans featured as another versatile player after playing cornerback, slot cornerback, and some safety at Kansas State.

As of now, I must say the unit has improved, but only slightly. The future upside is much greater than it was last year, but this is not a group that is going to come in and shut down opponents this season. Maxwell is an upgrade over Williams, but will see tougher receivers in this division than he did in Seattle. Also, there are the issues of the safety position next to Jenkins and the other starting cornerback position. Rookies generally see their fair share of growing pains so expecting Rowe to come in and be a solid #2 may be wishful thinking.

I think the future is looking very bright for the Philadelphia Eagles secondary. We may not start to see that this year, though.

Fly Eagles Fly.

Next: Who Should Start at Safety for the Eagles?

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