Philadelphia Eagles: Quincy Wilson is worth a practice squad look

Could Quincy Wilson find a home on the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad?

Alright, I’d like to get this out of the way right from the jump: Yes, I am 100 percent suggesting that the Philadelphia Eagles should explicitly sign a player who wasn’t good enough to stick around on the 2020 New York Jets. If that’s just too much for you, then thanks for stopping by, check out more of our content here at Section 215, and have a nice day!

*phew* Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get into it.

Have you ever heard the phrase ‘oh, that player really needs a change of scenery’? Well, how about ‘that player who just got a change of scenery needs, like, another change of scenery’? That, my friends, is ex-Colts/Jets cornerback Quincy Wilson.

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Wilson, a second-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, came into the NFL with a ton of promise. He was a second-team All-SEC member, a man-press specialist with two years of experience playing for Jim McElwain, and consistently found a way to shine in a secondary loaded with future NFL players. Had he run a tad faster at the combine (4.54) it’s entirely possible some team may have opted to select Wilson in the back half of the first round with the hopes of landing a plug-‘n-play outside cornerback.

One of those teams, in the eyes of many, was the Philadephia Eagles.

A frequent mock target during the pre-draft process, Wilson and the Eagles undoubtedly had mutual interest. The Eagles brought him in for a pre-draft visit, Fran Duffy broke down his college tape on the team’s official website, and Mel Keiper, who may or may not have insider info depending on the circumstance, had the team selecting Wilson 14th overall to finally sure up Jim Schwartz’s secondary once and for all.

Obviously, that didn’t happen. The Eagles selected Derek Barnett 14th overall but did have a chance to select Wilson in the second round. Again, the Eagles really needed help in their secondary, with Jalen Mills, Patrick Robinson, and Ron Brooks competing for top cornerback spots on the outside. Had Wilson been the pick, maybe the Eagles wouldn’t have had to trade away a future third for Ronald Darby, and Jordan Mattews would still be in place as the team’s long-term slot wide receiver, but instead, Howie Roseman and company opted to take project cornerback Sidney Jones in the hopes that he’d retain his top-10 talent once his ACL injury healed.

And as for Wilson? Well, he went to the Colts 46th overall and toiled away for the better part of three seasons.

Initially slotted in as a depth outside corner behind Rashaan Melvin and ex-Pro Bowler Vontae Davis, Wilson appeared in seven largely inoffensive games with five starts as a rookie. He followed that up with a similar sophomore campaign before falling off a cliff in 2019; a season lowlighted by giving up 13 catches for 174 yards and two touchdowns while allowing a near-perfect 139 QBR to opposing quarterbacks.

With very little chance to see the field, especially with the addition of Xavier Rhodes, and T.J. Carrie, Wilson was traded to the Jets for a 2020 sixth-round pick; a pick that, funny enough, was eventually used to draft another cornerback, Isaiah Rodgers.

Though Wilson initially thought the trade was a perfect chance to relaunch his career, as per his own words Jets’ DC Gregg Williams’ scheme is far more concerned with corners “mak(ing) plays and not to cover grass”, that unfortunately wasn’t the case. Wilson played in three games, earned one start, and was ultimately waived by the Jets after only playing 25 defensive snaps.

And now, here we are. Wilson, a former second-round pick with CB1 upside coming out of Florida, will all but surely pass through waivers unclaimed and turn his eye to his next football opportunity – which may ultimately be his final football opportunity depending on how things shake out. If Wilson makes the wrong choice, he very well may have to put that Gators degree to good use a bit sooner than he’d have hoped.

Which is why a stint on the Eagles’ practice squad makes sense.

Sure, there may be better chances elsewhere for Wilson to continue on his streak of playing on an active roster, but typically, if a team is looking to add a ‘bust’ midseason to play, it’s because they are either 1. really bad or 2. really injured. The Eagles, conversely, have decent depth at cornerback, especially if they sign Michael Jacquet from the practice squad to the active roster, but only in the interim. With only five defensive backs under contract past the 2020 season – Darius Slay, Craig James, Rodney McLeod, Marcus Epps, and K’Von Wallace – Wilson could step in, learn the system without having to worry about in-game reps, and mentally assimilate into what the Eagles want to do defensively.

Even if his NFL tenure hasn’t gone as planned thus far, Wilson still has the size, length, and speed needed to be a contributor in a man-press system, even if that ceiling is as a third outside cornerback. Alternatively, Wilson could finally make the switch many have suggested since his college days and finally give safety a shot. With Jalen Mills still under contract through the final eight games of the season, Wilson could learn the ins and outs of playing a do-it-all-hybrid role from a player he could eventually replace down the line.

Is spending time on the practice squad a downgrade? In most players’ eyes, yes, but in this unique 2020 season where players like Josh McCown and Dez Bryant have called it home, it presents a unique opportunity to sit back, learn, and even play games if needed without the constant stress of being the 53rd guy on a 53 man roster.

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After releasing Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas before the start of the 2020 NFL season, the Philadelphia Eagles have effectively depleted their young depth at cornerback. Outside of Darius Slay and Rodney McLeod, pretty much every position in the secondary is subject to change moving forward with only so many opportunities to refresh the pipeline with ascending talent. At 24-years-old, Quincy Wilson is still a moldable block of clay who could theoretically turn into a solid player down the line. If that isn’t worth a practice squad spot, then I don’t know what is.

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