2021 Philadelphia Eagles offseason defensive roster outlook

The Philadelphia Eagles still have some question marks in the secondary.

Projections for the cornerbacks:

The Birds made a few moves during this past offseason in an attempt to cure what has ailed them in terms of a struggling defensive backfield. They brought in Darius Slay via trade and Nickell Robey-Colman during the free-agency period.

The Robey-Coleman idea isn’t working out, and though Slay has proven that he can be a lockdown corner for the Iggles, he can be taken advantage of from time to time. Philly is far from being set at the nickel cornerback position, and there still isn’t a definitive answer about who should start at the other outside cornerback position opposite of Slay.

In 2020, it’s been Avonte Maddox who has gotten the nod. He has good ball skills (not great, but good), and he often does a fairly decent job on the wide receiver he’s tasked to cover, but one major issue in Maddox’s game is that he is, well, short. It might be a safer bet to invest an early draft choice in another outside cornerback.

Prediction: The Eagles let Nickell Robey-Coleman go in free agency and draft a cornerback in the first round.

Projections for the safeties:

Outside of Rodney McLeod, there are no real answers at safety, other than the fact that Rudy Ford should be a mainstay on special teams. Some fans may argue that Jalen Mills is a better safety than a cornerback, the experiment hasn’t been a total success.

There will be some options in free agency, but the Eagles may not be able to afford them. K’Von Wallace is still in the house, but he’ll need more time to develop. Philly may still choose to select someone in the draft to serve as some insurance should anything happen.

Prediction: Eagles let Jalen Mills test free agency, resign Will Parks, and draft a safety.