Philadelphia Eagles: (Re-)signing Orlando Scandrick feels inevitable

While trading for Jalen Ramsey would be a dream come true, it seems much more likely that the Philadelphia Eagles will re-sign Orlando Scandrick ASAP.

The Philadelphia Eagles‘ Week 4 bout against the Green Bay Packers was… kind of a mixed bag.

On one hand, the team pulled out a harrowing underdog win on a (basically) walk off red zone interception by Nigel Bradham – ‘saving the team’s season’ by evening their record up to 2-2 – but in doing so, the team added even more names to their already bloated injury report.

A win is a win, but at what cost?

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With only two healthy cornerbacks on the active roster going into the weekend – Rasul Douglas and Craig James – the Eagles could have a basically unprecedented five cornerbacks on the books who are unable to play in Week 5, barring of course a surprise recovery by either Sidney Jones or Avonte Maddox – but after watching the later leave Lambeau Field on a stretcher, that seems fairly unlikely.

No, once the Eagles touch back down in the City of Brotherly Love, the team’s front office will surely be scouring the league on the lookout for secondary reinforcements over the next week; searching high and low for someone – anyone – to line up 12 yards off the line and play prevent coverage on third-and-10.

But who on earth could the team even target?

While the most optimistic among us would suggest that this string of injuries swing the door wide open for a franchise-altering trade for Jalen Ramsey (more on that here), but at this point, I’ll believe that when I see it. No, much like last season when Jalen Mills suffered an apparently very complicated foot injury that has kept him off the field for the last 10 months and counting, it seems like the Birds will try to cut corners (ha) yet again and find a diamond in the rough on the waiver wires, in free agency, or on some team’s practice squad.

Or will they?

Sure, Ramsey is clearly the best player available to come in and start for the Eagles for the remainder of the season – not to mention the next decade – but what if I were to tell you there’s a veteran corner unsigned right now with 146 games of NFL experience under his belt and a full summer of work in Jim Schwartz‘s scheme?

Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, that player exists, and his name is Orlando Scandrick.

After spending a decade as a fixture of the Dallas Cowboys secondary, both in the slot and on the outside, Scandrick came to Philly over the summer as his third team in as many seasons – resigned to a reserve role as his body slowly broke down under the stresses of a decade in the league. While Scandrick ultimately didn’t make the team coming out of training camp, in large part because of the team’s excess depth (ha) and unwillingness to guarantee his veteran-minimum contract for the full season, all indications pointed to a mutual desire to reunite if it made sense.

Right now, nothing makes more sense in the world.

As previously mentioned, Scandrick has experience playing both inside and outside cornerback and could be a valuable cross position reserve even when the team returns to full strength. Furthermore, Scandrick actually recorded a personal-best 13 passes defensed in 2018 to go with an interception, highlighting an ability to remain actively engaged around the ball even if he no longer runs a 4.32 40.

And last but not least, Scandrick has been a surprisingly effective blitzer over the first decade of his career, averaging a little over 1.25 sacks in each of his first nine seasons in Dallas.

With Schwartz’s newfound pension for deploying exotic blitzes as a supplement for defensive line’s lack of burst, Scandrick could prove a fairly effective weapon on occasion as an Andrew Sendejo-esque defensive back blitzer – a move that no offensive coordinator will see coming based on the game film.

Next. The Jalen Ramsey-mob continues to grow. dark

Can Orlando Scandrick come in after a month away from the team and instantly become a Chris Harris-level starter in base coverage who shifts inside in the nickel? Probably not, but he’s easily the most accessible corner on the market with experience in Jim Schwartz’s scheme; for a team as banged up as the Philadelphia Eagles, beggers can’t be choosers.

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