Philadelphia Eagles: A Solution to the Cornerback Problem
It’s no secret that cornerback has been a historically bad position for the Philadelphia Eagles. It is a position that needs to be addressed in the draft and free agency.
Let’s dive into how we got to our current state, shall we? Going into the 2016 season the Philadelphia Eagles had Nolan Carroll, Leodis McKelvin, Ron Brooks, Jalen Mills, and Eric Rowe on the cornerback depth chart. The birds were quick to give up on Rowe, sending the former second-round pick up to New England for a conditional fourth round pick. The reasoning behind that was the coaching staff liked Mills and would move Malcolm Jenkins to cover if need be.
As it played out, Rowe is playing pretty well in New England (shocker) and the Eagles were forced to have Jenkins cover the slot more than they would have liked (remember Ron Brooks season-ending knee injury?) After the Rowe trade the Eagles found themselves pretty devoid of talent at cornerback, the only player worth writing home about was Jalen Mills, and even he wasn’t that great.
The talent level going into this season is pretty much the same as last season. If it were up to me, I’d let Nolan Carroll walk in free agency. There is no point to bringing him back. The Eagles should retain Leodis McKelvin and Ron Brooks for depth purposes but nothing more. With Jalen Mills, Leodis McKelvin, Ron Brooks, and a few undrafted guys from last season as your only corners going into the 2017 season it’s clear that the birds need to address corner in the draft and free agency.
This should go without saying, but a high pick should be used on a corner to groom him as a true number one shutdown corner and add another depth guy in free agency. The veteran presence will be huge for our young guys moving forward. There is decent talent at cornerback in free agency. That being said, here are three people that Howie Roseman a Joe Douglas should have their eyes on.
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Dre Kirkpatrick is one of the more attainable free agent corners and my personal favorite target. It seems like Cincinnati will allow him to hit the open market, and he should be cheaper than the bigger names like Stephon Gillmore and Trumaine Johnson. Other players like AJ Bouye and Logan Ryan played themselves into big money contracts with their play during the postseason.
Kirkpatrick was a former first round pick in 2012 and spent this career thus far on the Bengals. He has experience playing on both the inside and outside, that versatility should draw a lot of interest from the Eagles front office. Kirkpatrick provides an immediate upgrade over McKelvin, Brooks, and Carroll and would be a great veteran to have in a locker room full of young defensive backs. He played his college ball at Alabama and was on two National Champion teams, this shows that he is a competitor and would bring a championship mentality to our locker room.
Additionally, he’s played against elite talent in the AFC North which would be huge coming to the NFC East. If brought aboard our corners on game day would be Kirkpatrick, Mills, McKelvin and whichever rookie they Eagles draft high. Don’t be shocked if a different rookie beats out McKelvin, though.
Morris Claiborne was drafted sixth overall by the Dallas Cowboys back in 2012. He was considered a huge bust due to constantly battling injuries since coming into the league. This season, however, Claiborne has been a solid contributor on the Cowboys defense. The former LSU Tiger signed a one-year “bet on me” deal with the Cowboys last season. I’m not sure if the Cowboys will resign him, as this is a deep CB class if they decide to let the former first rounder walk the Eagles should make a move to sign him.
He played well this past season and showed he can be a starter on the outside, something the birds need desperately. The front office should take every opportunity they get to make a division opponent weak while strengthening your own team. This could be that opportunity, handed to them on a silver platter. Claiborne would be an instant upgrade and will come cheaper than the Stephon Gilmore‘s and Byron Maxwell‘s of the world.
Ross Cockrell is a lesser known player than Claiborne and Kirkpatrick, but he did start 16 games for the Steelers last season. Cockrell is a former fourth-round pick out Duke in 2014. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills but cut before the 2015 season. The Steelers quickly picked him up and he’s been effective for them ever since.
Cockrell is a long, athletic, fast corner who tends to play the outside. He would pair nicely with a high draft pick rookie and bring some AFC North toughness to our secondary. He has playoff experience and is still younger than most free agent options out there. It’s still not clear if the Steelers will let Cockrell walk but if they do he could be staying in the state of Pennsylvania.
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Any of these three free agents would be a great addition to our defensive back room. Kirkpatrick, Claiborne, or Cockrell mixed with a rookie (or two), Mills, and McKelvin would make for a formidable secondary. With the upgrades, Jim Schwarz’s unit will thrive in its second year. I can’t wait to see what direction Roseman and Douglas go in.