Philadelphia Eagles: Projecting their preseason depth chart on defense
Despite Slay’s addition, the Philadelphia Eagles have a lot to iron out at cornerback.
No one knew that Darius Slay was on the Eagles radar before the most recent free agency period. That’s because everything we kept hearing was the “Birds” were looking to utilize many of their resources on adding Byron Jones, but that theory took a surprising turn as Jones shocked everyone by signing with the Miami Dolphins.
Then, James Bradberry, widely seen as the second-best cornerback available in free agency, signed with one of the Eagles’ most bitter rivals, the hated New York Giants. That meant, rather than taking the field with him as an ally, Philly would have to battle him twice in the coming season with whoever they trot out at wide receiver.
No one will admit this now, but fans were furious. Eagles vice president and general manager Howie Roseman cured things with the equivalent of a make-up date, a trade that brought Darius Slay into the fold. That may prove to be a better move long term for Philly than Jones or Bradberry would have been, but there are questions about the other guys on the roster who play that same position.
Related Story. 1 Play fans forgot Robey-Coleman was a part of. light
Perhaps the most pressing question is who’s starting on the opposite side of Slay? This unit has a lot of work to do between now and the start of the season.
One side: 1. Darius Slay, 2. Sidney Jones, 3. Trevor Williams, 4. Prince Smith,
The other side: 1. Avonte Maddox, 2. Rasul Douglas, Craig James, Tremon Smith, Michael Jacquet III
The slot: Nickell Robey-Coleman, Cre’Von LeBlanc
Much like so many of the other positions on this Eagles team, there are a lot of guys, but there seems to be something missing. It’s going to be interesting to see how this plays out.