Philadelphia Eagles: Nickell Robey-Coleman is a better Patrick Robinson

Nickell Robey-Coleman can be a better Patrick Robinson for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020.

Patrick Robinson, maybe more so than any other player, was the Philadelphia Eagles‘ most valuable defensive addition in 2017.

I know, right? Whoda thought a 30-year-old slot-only cornerback on his fourth team in as many years would outplay the likes of Timmy Jernigan, Derek Barnett, Corey Graham, and Ronald Darby, but he did, and he did so commandingly. We’re talking a PFF overall grade of 87.5 with a coverage grade a tick shy of 90.

Was it sustainable? Goodness no, the Eagles opted against re-signing the impending free agent in favor of a long-term extension for Nigel Bradham, but for that one, glorious season, Robinson was an elite performer that helped to elevate a fantastic defense to Super Bowl champions.

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And, get this, the Eagles just did it again.

After making a few splashy moves during the first wave of free agency, the Eagles made a decidedly less exciting signing with the addition of ex-Los Angeles Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman. Like Robinson, NRC is a bit of a journeyman, a slot only cornerback, and a tad scheme reliant, but he’s also one of the best players in the league at what he does and could instantly elevate the Eagles’ interior coverage unit almost overnight.

Measuring in at 5-foot-8, 180 pounds, Robey-Coleman has made his name on a hard-hitting, aggressive style that is equally as exciting as it is maddening. As you may or may not remember from last season, NRC made national headlines for a hit on New Orleans Saints wide receiver Tommylee Lewis that was so brutally flagrant it literally resulted in a change to the NFL rules know known fondly as ‘The Nickell Robey-Coleman Rule’.

That alone would make NRC a certified ‘Philadelphia guy’, but wait, it gets even better.

You see, Robey-Coleman isn’t just a Philly guy, but he’s also a Jim Schwartz guy, as the former USC Trojan made seven starts – a career-high – for the Eagles’ current defensive coordinator during his lone year with the Buffalo Bills in 2014. Like oh so many other defensive backs who cycled through a midnight green uniform after finding success with that 9-7 Bills team before him, Robey-Coleman’s experience in Schwartz’s attacking Wide-9 scheme, when coupled with a natural affinity for bodying up (seemingly always) bigger wide receivers in the middle of the field should give him a leg up over Philly-born defensive back Will Parks, 2020 fourth-round pick K’Von Wallace, and even incumbent starter Cre’von LeBlanc, who only appeared in five games for the team last fall.

Even if it’s just one season, which is likely, as NRC surely wants to lock up a long-term deal that all but certainly won’t be on the table in South Philly, adding a veteran corner with experience in Schwartz’s scheme and an average PFF rating of 79.3 over the last three seasons is a beyond good move that could breed fantastic results in a few short months.

For $1.05 million, what more can you ask for?

Next. Multiple players disrespected in NFL’s Top 100 list. dark

The NFL, maybe more so than any other professional sports league, is one won on the peripheries. Sure, every team needs their Carson Wentzes, Fletcher Coxes, and Jason Kelceses but the really, really good teams who consistently find themselves in contention year-in and year-out are the ones who identify an underappreciated asset, sign them on the cheap, and get a big-money performance out of a value-priced player. If Nickell Robey-Coleman can maintain the level of play that earned him the nickname ‘The Slot God‘ when he returns to the East Coast for the first time since 2016, I think the Philadelphia Eagles just found a Patrick Robinson-level steal, if not better.

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