Philadelphia Eagles: Grading the Positional Units as Training Camp Begins

Defensive Backs, Grade: C

This group should really be split up into two groups; safeties and corners. If that were the case, the safeties would receive an A and the corners would receive an F.

Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod should be one of the top safety tandems in the entire NFL. McLeod is the heavy hitting fear factor who can cover ground and make plays and create turnovers. Malcolm Jenkins is smart if nothing else.  His football IQ is through the roof. Adding a cover safety like McLeod will also free up Jenkins to be a loose cannon in Jim Schwartz’s new look defense.

Unfortunately, though, these two potential all-pros will have to be making up for what slouches end up manning the cornerback positions. There are quite a few theories about which two corners will get the nod, but the bottom line is, none of them seem to be too formidable.

There is hope that Leodis McKelvin will be able to step up and contribute due to his knowledge of Jim Schwartz’s defense but at his advanced age, there is little hope that he will be more than a mentor to the secondary.

Next: Linebacker