The Philadelphia Eagles had a bunch of surprising changes in their secondary after winning the Super Bowl in February.
The Eagles saw veteran cornerbacks Darius Slay and Isaiah Rodgers depart in free agency and sign deals with new teams. Then, Philadelphia traded ballhawk safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans, which no one saw coming, especially since the veteran defender just came back to the team last offseason.
However, the Eagles clearly had a plan to replace those guys, especially Slay and Rodgers, in the cornerback room. Quinyon Mitchell will assume the CB1 spot after a good rookie season, while Cooper DeJean will handle slot duties for another season.
As for the CB2 spot, most Eagles fans think that this is Kelee Ringo’s time, who is entering his third year with the club. But Philadelphia brought in some competition for Ringo, signing former New York Giants cornerback Adoree’ Jackson to a one-year, $1.75 million deal.
New Eagles CB Adoree’ Jackson Already Making Waves in Philadelphia
Jackson has already gotten off to a good start with the Eagles during OTAs and mandatory minicamp. According to John McMullen of Philadelphia Eagles on SI, the veteran cornerback was among the five winners during OTAs and “got the most reps” opposite of Mitchell.
The 29-year-old Jackson is looking to rebound and rebuild his stock after a so-so four years with the Giants.
The veteran defensive back began his Giants’ tenure as a starter for the first three years, but saw his starting opportunities take a step back in 2024. Jackson appeared in 14 games, but only made five starts.
Jackson had 28 combined tackles and a tackle for loss, but only posted five pass deflections, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.
However, the veteran defender was pretty good in pass coverage, producing a 48.8 completion percentage on targets and an 88.2 pass rating allowed when targeted. He also only gave up two receiving touchdowns.
The Eagles hope that Jackson can put up similar numbers this upcoming season, as teams will likely try to throw to his side more, with Mitchell covering the other side of the field.
Now, that being said, it won’t be easy for Jackson to win the CB2 job. Ringo is younger, and it will be his second year in the Vic Fangio system. However, if Jackson is already picking things up quickly in OTAs, we could see him a lot during the regular season as Philly tries to defend its crown.