Philadelphia Eagles: 3 free agents worth signing post-draft
Darqueze Dennard’s misfortune could be the Philadelphia Eagles’ gain.
If the Philadelphia Eagles really want to make a statement in free agency and address their cornerback position with the best player left on the open market, they should sign Richard Sherman and immediately stake their claim for the best defensive backfield in the NFC East.
That won’t happen, because why on earth would Sherman go from playing for a Super Bowl contender to an Eagles’ squad with anything but a certain future, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still defensive backs who could come in and at the very least fight for playing time alongside 2018 fourth-rounder Avonte Maddox and 2021 rookie corner Zech McPhearson.
Of the current crop of corners left on the market, who are largely either very old or very green,
Darqueze Dennard stands above the rest as a very intriguing option who could at worst serve as a utility reserve in Jonathan Gannon’s defensive backfield.
After turning in three solid seasons to close out his tenure with the Cincinnati Bengals, Dennard was looking to get paid. He tested the open market, evaluated the options, and agreed to sign a three-year, $13.5 million contract with $6 million guaranteed to help replace departing cornerback D.J. Hayden, only to have it fall through shortly thereafter when the two sides failed to come to a final agreement.
Dennard’s camp quickly attempted to save face, but the damage was done. The 29-year-old cornerback signed a one-year deal for just over $1 million with his hometown Atlanta Falcons and went on to appear in eight largely unremarkable games with six starts for a surprisingly bad football team that fired their head coach five games into the regular season.
But hey, Dennard’s loss could be the Philadelphia Eagles’ gain, as he’s surely looking to rebound from the downs of 2020 to secure what may be his final opportunity to secure generational wealth on a long-term, big-money deal.
If that happens, the Eagles look like a prime landing spot for Dennard considering their current depth chart and needs moving forward.
Measuring in at 5-foot-11, 205 pounds, Dennard has long arms, 4.52 speed, and experience playing both inside and out over his seven-year professional career. While he won’t be stealing snaps away from Darius Slay any time soon, Dennard is unquestionably one of the top-100 cornerbacks in the NFL right now, which sounds sort of mean, but when you consider all 32 team play three cornerbacks more often than not, it means he should be able to unquestionably contribute to some team in one way or another, especially if they are in dire straits at cornerback, which the Eagles very much are.
After watching T.J. Carrie re-sign with the Indianapolis Colts back in April, there isn’t a cornerback left on the market with a clear connection to either Jonathan Gannon or Nick Sirianni. With that being said, there is one player who checks every possible box from a need/fit/familiarity standpoint who just so happens to have one of the best stories in the NFL today just waiting to be signed. But whoever could it be?