NFL writer predicts Eagles CB Rasul Douglas will emerge as a star in 2019

The Philadelphia Eagles have a young and talented secondary on defense, but they don’t have a bonafide star. Could Rasul Douglas emerge as one in 2019?

In Philadelphia, the Eagles like to keep positions loaded up with depth. They don’t want just one or two guys taking on so many snaps week after week, further risking fatigue or injuries. Not every team has the luxury of playing like that, but the Eagles do. There is a lot of talent on their current team, and there’s a ton of battles that are going to go down for starting positions this summer.

One specific unit on the Eagles that will be an exciting battle to watch will be the battle of cornerbacks in the defensive secondary. We know who the starting safeties are in Rodney McLeod and Malcolm Jenkins. But the two outside corner spots and even the nickel are open for the taken.

Last year, the Eagles started the year off with Ronald Darby and Jalen Mills on the outside. But after a shakeup in the secondary thanks to injuries, it felt like there was a new setup at cornerback week after week. Later on, in the season, the Eagles found some stability though. Eventually, they were able to get a consistent run from Rasul Douglas and Avonte Maddox. And to everybody’s surprise, they played reasonably well to close out the regular season, and in the playoffs.

Now, we’re unsure if the Eagles will go back to their old ways with Mills and Darby, or try to implement a new starting squad. But one NFL writer believes that Rasul Douglas should be given a fair chance to start, as he sees Douglas emerging as a star during his third season.

Could Rasul Douglas break out?

Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report put together a list where he mentions one potential breakout star for each position in the NFL. For cornerback, Rasul Douglas was his selection.

"“Given a chance to start consistently on the outside, Douglas has the playmaking ability to become a game-changer in the NFC East. And the 2017 third-round pick might have that opportunity in his third NFL campaign.”“Ronald Darby and Jalen Mills are both working their way back from major injuries, and Douglas is better than Mills, Avonte Maddox and Cre’Von LeBlanc. Darby has missed 15 games the last two seasons, and 2017 second-rounder Sidney Jones has missed all but 10 games thus far in his career. The Eagles have plenty of options at cornerback, but Douglas might be in the best position of them all.”"

What’re the chances Douglas starts in 2019? Your guess is as good as mine. It seems as though the Eagles have a bit of a divide between Jim Schwartz and the front office when it comes to Douglas. The front office drafted Douglas, which means he was viewed as their guy.

For whatever reason though, Jim Schwartz doesn’t seem to give Douglas a fair chance at starting full time, even though Douglas performs well more often than not when he’s in. Schwartz has given Douglas his props over his effort last season, but we can’t be so sure he allows Douglas to start over Mills or Darby in 2019.

Since both of the original starters from the Super Bowl squad are on contract years in 2019, the Eagles might want to see what they have in them for one final season. However, don’t be surprised to see both Darby and Mills on short leashes. Knowing that Douglas can get the job done if called upon, he might get more snaps than we expect next season. And at that point, there’s a chance he emerges as a star in the secondary.