Philadelphia Eagles: 5 thoughts on a confusing initial 53-man roster
By David Esser
Lack of defensive back depth.
This somewhat goes hand in hand with too much emphasis being put on special teams, but the 2020 Philadelphia Eagles currently have very little in terms of DB depth, at both safety and cornerback.
With Will Parks on injured reserve, the Eagles three backup safeties are K’Von Wallace, Marcus Epps, and Rudy Ford. Wallace is a rookie who has yet to log an NFL snap, and Epps and Ford are both special teams guys who seriously struggled in base coverage last season.
At corner, things look even shakier.
Slay, Maddox, and NRC are your starters, but after that it looks average at best. Recently re-acquired LeBlanc is exclusively a slot corner, and the previously mentioned Craig James really only played as a punt “gunner” last season. The team liked him enough to extend him through 2021, but I’d be lying if I said I felt comfortable with him filling in on the outside should Slay or Maddox go down.
The Eagles cut guys like Grayland Arnold and Trevor Williams prior to Sunday, which was surprising considering their multi-positional versatility. Williams can play both outside and slot corner, and Arnold had collegiate experience at both free safety and corner.
I would feel far more comfortable with Arnold or Williams subbing in should another injury occur, as opposed to a random special teamer whose best trait is the ability to run down punts.