Are Eagles fans putting too much pressure on K’Von Wallace in 2020?
K’Von Wallace might not even start for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020.
Gosh, I really, really want K’Von Wallace to be the Philadelphia Eagles‘ next great safety.
On paper, Wallace is pretty much the prototype for what most teams want in a versatile, do-it-all hybrid safety. Measuring in at 5-foot-11, 206 pounds with a 133-inch broad jump and a 4.53 40 yard dash, Wallace was a three-year starter for a perennial college football playoff contender where he played all over Dabo Swinney’s elite defensive secondary.
For what it’s worth, Wallace is also incredibly jazzed to be a member of the Eagles. Mosey on over to the 22-year-old’s Twitter feed and you’ll see dozens upon dozens of posts about how much he likes his new fanbase, his new teammates, and even a brand-spankin’ new back tattoo of his new team’s titular logo.
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Heck, Wallace even has a fan in Eagles all-timer – and fellow Clemson Tigers alum – Brian Dawkins, what more could you ask for?
But before we go about setting Wallace’s floor at All-Pro and move on, I want to pause for just a second and only question whether some fans have set their expectations just a wee bit too high for the 2020 season.
Why? Well I’m glad you asked.
As things presently stand, two of the positions the Eagles have a surplus of talent at are slot cornerback and box safety. Granted, one could make the argument that having two, three, or even four players of comparable talent at the same position is just another way of saying you don’t have one tried and true unquestioned star, but I digress.
What two positions does Wallace play? That’s right, slot cornerback and box safety.
So right from the jump, Wallace will have to compete with a stacked collection of players like Nickell Robey-Coleman and Cre’Von LeBlanc in the slot, and/or Jalen Mills and Will Parks at strong safety to even see the field on defense. Sure, Wallace could potentially rise through the ranks over the course of training camp and unseat a penciled-in starter a la Mills in 2016, but that becomes a tough ask when you consider the peculiar nature of this offseason. Unless things turn around in a hurry, the Eagles – and the NFL as a whole – are going to have an abbreviated offseason with considerably less on-field practice time when compared to a typical offseason. Based on the Eagles’ recent bias of going with older, more experienced players getting the nod over rookies until they show a mastery of the position, I’d be shocked if Wallace sees the field in Week 1 of the 2020 regular season, let alone Week 10.
The Eagles almost exclusively worked out JJ Arcega-Whiteside at the ‘X’ wide receiver spot in 2019, which limited his ability to see the field when Alshon Jeffery returned in Week 4. If Jim Schwartz pulls a similar stunt in 2020 on the defensive side of the ball, Wallace’s versatility may largely go to waste until 2021.
Who was the last Eagle of note to wear the number 42? Chris Maragos. Maybe the Birds’ plan of allowing Wallace to adjust to the speed and pace of an NFL season slowly while picking up some crucial on-field experience as a four-core special teamer as a rookie.
Or hey, maybe Wallace will come into camp as the player many declared the steal of Day 3, take the team by storm, and start for the Eagles at safety in base and in the slot in defensive sub-packages for the next decade-plus. If that happens, no one will be happier than yours truly.
The Philadelphia Eagles were doubly smart to pass on Chris Harris. dark. Next
It’s rather rare for a mid-round draftee to capture the hearts of an entire fanbase before they even see the field, especially when said player isn’t a quarterback. K’Von Wallace has already thoroughly accomplished that feat, and he deserves a ton of credit for doing so in seemingly record time. However, a neck to butt commemorative tattoo doesn’t a starter make – just ask legions of fans who throw around the rock in the Lot F. If K’Von Wallace is going to become a full-time starter for the Philadelphia Eagles moving forward, he’ll actually have to, ya know, see the field, and that’s a whole lot easier said than done based on the team’s crowded 2020 depth chart.