Philadelphia Eagles roster outlook: Ranking their 3 best nickel CB options
By Ben Swanger
One of Philly sports’ most trusted voices weighs in.
According to Derrick Gunn at NBC Sport’s Philadelphia, Maddox as the best option to start opposite of Slay on the outside, but Philadelphia knows all too well that plans at cornerback aren’t always executed as smoothly as anticipated.
It shouldn’t be a shock if Jones gets an opportunity to start opposite of Slay. He has the physical advantage on Maddox, making him a seemingly better candidate to start on the outside. Maddox, on the other hand, has had more reps in the slot than he’s had on the outside. Just ask Pro Football Focus.
Jones has yet to prove he can stay healthy, but if he can demonstrate that his physical limitations aren’t an issue, he might finally tap into his potential.
Regardless of how things fall, the nickel corner competition is wide open, and just because Maddox has had the most experience playing as an Eagle in this system, it doesn’t mean that he’ll be penciled in as CB2.
Because of his versatility, Maddox is going to compete for a starting role both outside and inside. LeBlanc will fight for the slot corner position as well, and veteran slot specialist Robey-Coleman has a shot to lead the pack.
Let’s dive deeper into all three options and rank them.