4 Eagles who somehow avoided hotter seats after free agency, NFL Draft

Zech McPhearson should survive roster cuts despite the addition of James Bradberry… maybe.

It’s hard to remember a time when the Birds’ starting wide receiver duo and starting cornerback duo were as talented as it is right now. Opposing defenses and their coordinators are going to miss out on a lot of sleep preparing for A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, and it won’t be any more fun for their offensive coordinators as they try and prepare a plan of attack in the passing game with James Bradberry and Darius Slay on the outside.

It doesn’t take much thought to arrive at the theory that Slay and Bradberry are shoo-ins to make the roster. Avonte Maddox will take up residency as the starting slot corner in Jonathan Gannon’s defensive scheme.

That means, more than likely, that Josh Blackwell, Kary Vincent Jr., Josiah Scott, Mario Goodrich, Tay Gowan, Zech McPhearson, Mac McCain III, Craig James, and Josh Jobe are in a nine-man battle to win three roster spots if Philly’s plan is to walk into the 2022 regular season with six cornerbacks (which is a very likely scenario).

It was McPhearson that everyone designated as the de facto starter opposite Darius Slay before it was announced that James Bradberry would be acquired. Now, that James is here, it’s hard to imagine that Zech has tumbled several spots down the depth chart.

He figures to be safe when we begin discussing roster cuts later in the summer unless some unforeseen circumstance arises. After all, the Eagles brass likes to give their draftees as many chances to prove their mettle as possible, even if that has, sometimes, been a detriment.