Rasul Douglas is proving to be Philadelphia Eagles’ best cornerback
Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Rasul Douglas is getting some burn from the national media as he’s becoming Philly’s best cornerback.
The Philadelphia Eagles secondary has dealt with injuries and low quality of play so far this season. One cornerback, in particular, is garnering praise from the national media as Philly’s best cornerback. When the Eagles drafted Rasul Douglas in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft he was a bit of an afterthought for most fans.
That’s what happens when the team takes two other guys before you.
The team had already taken a pass rusher that had broken Reggie White‘s collegiate sack record at the University of Tennessee in Derek Barnett in Round 1 of that year’s draft. Then, in Round 2, they selected a prospect that would have been a first-round selection had he not torn his Achilles in cornerback Sidney Jones. Douglas was looked at as a quality depth selection in Round 3 from the West Virginia Mountaineers, but he’s evolved into so much more.
Over his first three seasons in the league, Douglas has inarguably outperformed expectations. When the Eagles lost almost their entire secondary to injuries last season, Douglas stepped up alongside Cre’Von LeBlanc and Avonte Maddox to showcase a hidden layer of depth and talent that most fans didn’t know the team had. Bleeding Green Nation’s Michael Kist took notice of just how great Douglas was in last year’s NFC Divisional game against the New Orleans Saints.
Take a look:
Douglas finished his rookie season with two interceptions and followed that up with three in his sophomore campaign. His growth as a ‘ball hawk’ hints at his ability to grow within the Eagles defense and learn from experiences. That growth also made Douglas a multiple-time Pro Football Focus Top-10 cornerback during the 2017-18 seasons.
As a further testament to that growth, Douglas was named as an honorary team captain for the Eagles’ last contest against the New York Jets in Week 5 of the current campaign.
His candidacy for captain status was fully embraced by both his teammates and the fanbase, who have both acknowledged Douglas’ growth as a player. He took his newfound responsibility as a defensive leader in stride and locked down Jets receivers all day long. Against Douglas, both Demaryius Thomas and Robby Anderson caught a total of two passes for a total of 27 yards.
Next. Sidney Jones’ health is not his biggest concern. dark
On a team that’s struggling to develop quality cover corners, Douglas is a breath of fresh air. He has been, by far, the Eagles’ best cornerback through the first month-plus, and at just 25 years old, he’s a piece of this defense that Philly would be wise to stick with and grow around. Hop on the hype train and support this man Eagles fans, he’s a good one.