Philadelphia Eagles trade for oft-injured Jets corner
The Philadelphia Eagles made another trade to build cornerback depth, but is this enough to remedy the worries at the position?
The Philadelphia Eagles traded hard-hitting safety Terrence Brooks to the New York Jets. In doing so, the Jets sent cornerback Dexter McDougle. Does the name not sound familiar?
The reason is McDougle has struggled stay on the field. He has played just 20 games since being drafted in the third-round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Mostly a special teams player, the Eagles are hoping McDougle can find consistency in his health to be a formidable backup corner.
Going into the 2017 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles were clearly in need of help at corner back. They took a chance on injured corner Sidney Jones, and followed it up with what seems to be a valued pick in Rasul Douglas. Douglas has yet to breakout in the preseason, and Jones has yet to step onto the field.
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The questions were somewhat answered when Howie Roseman shipped Carson Wentz‘s favorite target to Buffalo for the once-promising Ronald Darby. Darby had some mishaps in his first game as an Eagle, but that would be expected considering the small amount of time between his arrival to Philadelphia and Week 3 of the preseason.
So, this trade was nothing more than two teams trying to find gold in projected backups. Brooks wasn’t a vital piece by any means for the Philadelphia Eagles. While his production was impressive considering the amount of playing time he had, Brooks was at best a second or third safety.
McDougle will be battling with fan favorite C.J. Smith for an impactful role on the roster. It seems like Darby and Jalen Mills will take the two corner positions, with Ron Brooks close behind. The Philadelphia Eagles are clearly trying to solve this glaring hole in what is otherwise a dangerous team.
Maybe these moves mean nothing, maybe someone like Darby will become a staple in this defense. The Philadelphia Eagles have as much of a chance to take home the division than anyone else in the NFC East. But their season is dependent on the play of their unproven corners.
Howie Roseman is trying to scramble to find a solution. And whether this problem was put into the background for most of the offseason can be debated. This may be a case of too little, too late when it comes to acquiring corner talent, but at least something is happening.