Should the Philadelphia Eagles bring back Kurt Coleman?

After being cut by the Carolina Panthers after three seasons, should the Philadelphia Eagles go after ball-hawking safety Kurt Coleman?

The Philadelphia Eagles are a team with very few holes to fill going into 2018, but one that must be addressed this offseason is backup safety. But luckily for the team, reinforcements could be on the way from a familiar face.

After playing three seasons in Carolina, Kurt Coleman, an Eagles 2010 seventh-round pick, has been released prior to the start of the 2018 NFL league year.

Now, you may ask, why would the Eagles be interested in a starting caliber safety like Coleman when they already have one of the best safety tandems in the entire league in Rodney McLeod and Malcolm Jenkins? Three words: the big nickel.

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It’s no secret to any Eagles fan that Jenkins loves to play close to the line of scrimmage and while he’s been forced to play slot corner at times during his tenure in South Philly, the ninth year veteran has been most effective when lined up as an in-the-box safety in the team’s big nickel package.

Though not the most common alignment in the NFL, the big nickel package uses five defensive backs, but unlike a traditional nickel alignment that brings in a shifty third corner to face off against slot receivers, the big nickel inserts a third safety onto the field, typically playing down by the line of scrimmage. While this alignment is typically used when facing off against athletic tight ends like Jordan Reed or to combat receiving backs like Christian McCaffrey, Jim Schwartz used the alignment to take advantage of Jenkins playmaking abilities, and give opposing offensive coordinators fits, especially after losing Jordan Hicks for the season.

Without Hicks’ athleticism in the middle of the field, Schwartz relied on Jenkins to take on a larger role in the defensive backfield, with the safety actually logging almost 400 snaps in at linebacker according to Pro Football Focus, with reserve safety Corey Graham filling out the back end.

After spending three seasons in Buffalo, including one under Schwartz, Graham came to the team over the summer and quickly established a solid niche in the Eagles’ defensive secondary, logging almost 36 percent (367) of the team’s defensive snaps in 2017. Though nowhere near the athlete he once was back in Chicago, the converted corner held his own for the most part, and gave the team incredible optionality to move defensive backs around on any given play, and keep opposing coordinators guessing. Though Schwartz isn’t the biggest blitzer in the league, having three coverage safety’s allowed the team to unleash some fairly sophisticated zone blitzes at times.

But unfortunately for the Eagles, Graham looks like a one-year rental in South Philly.

After being waived by the Bills, the 32-year-old DB received virtually no interest as a free agent, as many teams feared that the 11th year vet had lost a step, and that fear came true in the postseason. Sure, he still appeared in all three playoff games for the Eagles, but Graham was largely an afterthought down the stretch.

While having Graham in the fold did unlock the big nickel package, if the team wants to optimize the alignment in 2018, they’ll need to find another starting-caliber safety to fill out their defensive backfield.

Which brings us to Coleman.

After starting 29 games for the Eagles while on his rookie contract, the Ohio State ballhawk struggled to get on the field under then-new head coach Chip Kelly in 2013. After losing his spot to Nate Allen, Coleman left the team for an opportunity to start in Kanas City under Andy Reid, the man who drafted him the following season, with mixed results.

Though Coleman was productive when he got on the field, hauling in three interceptions while appearing in 15 games for the Chiefs, Coleman only started three games as a reliever, and once again found himself unemployed going into the 2015 season.

But his Reid connection didn’t leave him unemployed for long.

Sean McDermott, Reid’s defensive coordinator in 2010, brought Coleman to Carolina to serve as a swing safety and special teamer, but quickly found it hard to keep the former Buckeye off the field. In his first season with the team, Coleman recorded a career-high seven interceptions while playing center field for the Panthers. This monster season leads to a new three-year, $17 million deal to remain in Carolina, but unfortunately for both parties, things would soon turn rocky.

Coleman still played well as a starter in 2016, recording four interceptions and 65 tackles, but he was incredibly ineffective in 2017, failing to pick off a single pass, and struggling to remain effective in coverage as he recovered from a sprained MCL. Though he probably would have still competed for a starting role with the Panthers in 2018, his $5 million cap hit was simply too rich for the Panthers’ tastes, and the team opted to simply release the eighth-year safety after appearing in 42 games in the blue and black.

Now free to sign with any team he chooses, many pundits predict that a reunion between Coleman and McDermott, now the Bills head coach, could be seemingly inevitable, but baring an exorbitant price tag, the Philadelphia Eagles should make a serious push for their former player’s services.

While the Eagles secondary played exceptionally well in 2017, far exceeding expectations from the season before, they really didn’t have a true backup safety who could play either position if Jenkins or McLeod were to go down with an injury. Sure, they had Jaylen Watkins, but does anyone really want to see him on the field for 80 snaps?

Though Coleman predominantly played free safety in the Panthers’ Cover 3 defense, McLeod’s position, he was used all over the defensive secondary in his first stint with the Eagles and could give the team optionality if one of their defensive backs, corner or safety, were to go down with a long-term injury.

Additionally, adding Coleman to the fold would also allow McLeod to play closer to the line of scrimmage, and utilize his coverage skills more effectively. While McLeod is a stud centerfielder, with great vision and even better instincts, playing 20 yards off the ball limits his playmaking ability, and prevents the former corner from pressing opposing ballcarriers. Bringing Coleman into the fold would allow McLeod to roam the defensive backfield with more regularity, and give the team one of the league’s best center fielders to hawk in wayward passes.

And with Trey Burton potentially leaving the team as a free agent, Coleman could also be an impact player on special teams. Though he was hardly a four-core player for the Panthers as a full-time starter, Coleman still logged 254 special teams snaps in this tenure in Carolina, and could once again excel at this role if he returned to South Philly next season. With the Eagles prioritizing special teams more than most, Coleman’s experience on return teams cannot be understated.

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While it’s unclear what kind of contract he’ll be seeking next season, and just how in demand his services will be, if Coleman fits into the Eagles plans, the team shouldn’t hesitate to offer the versatile defender a chance to return to South Philly. Though his professional career has had its ups and downs, Coleman has worked his way up from a seventh-round pick to a seriously productive player who’s excelled as a safety in the wide-nine, Jim Schwartz’s signature alignment. With a sneaky need for a third starting caliber safety to optimize their big nickel package, the Philadelphia Eagles should do their best to bring Kurt Coleman back to Philly, and give the versatile safety an opportunity to compete for a title where his career began.

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