Rodney McLeod’s run with the Philadelphia Eagles is likely done

It’s hard to really sift through the 2022 NFL free agency class to identify the best additions to the Philadelphia Eagles‘ roster, defensively at least, until the biggest elephant in the room, Jonathan Gannon‘s status, is addressed.

If, for example, the first-year defensive coordinator gets snatched up by the Houston Texans, and the Eagles opt to hire a defensive coordinator from the Seattle Seahawks’ coaching tree, they might want to scour the league to find a Kam Chancellor-type enforcer to man the strong safety spot. If instead, the team opts for a disciple of Jim Schwartz, they’d look for safeties with experience playing cornerback.

And hey, even if Gannon sticks around, the Eagles didn’t quite have the personnel needed to run his scheme, as he likes to deploy his safeties out of a two-high shell, where either player can drop into coverage, go deep, or provide run support inside the box.

But do you know what? Regardless of how things shake out and whether the Eagles’ defensive coordinator is named Jonathan Gannon, Mike Zimmer, or Vic Fangio, it’s hard to imagine Rodney McLeod being back for the ride.

Has Rodney McLeod played his last game with the Philadelphia Eagles?

In 2021, Rodney McLeod was fine. He wasn’t great, spectacular, or an All-Pro, but he also wasn’t horrible, horrid, or another “H” synonym for bad either.

In coverage, McLeod allowed 20 catches on 28 attempts for 255 yards and a touchdown, which are only slightly worse than his numbers in 2019, but he made up for it by dropping his missed tackle percentage for the second-straight season, going from 14.6 to 8.3 to 7.9. Despite playing in a new scheme with new responsibilities, McLeod adequately held up versus the run and the pass and was easily the Eagles’ best high-usage safety, with only Marcus Epps playing better, albeit in limited action.

That’s the good news. The bad news? McLeod’s play just wasn’t worth $4.3 million, which is what he’s earning on average on his current contract.

Now whether McLeod is back or he’s playing for literally any other team across the NFL, he’s still going to be cashing checks from the Eagles. Howie Roseman structured his contract in such a way that he could be making money from the team Bobby Bonilla-style until as late as 2025, even if he’s retired, but hey, what’s done is done, and unless McLeod returns on a restructured contract, he’ll cost the team $2.14 million in dead money in 2022 regardless of his status.

Sidebar: Anthony Harris’ one-year, $4 million contract has some weird capology to it as well, with the team owing him $2.4 million in dead money in 2022 regardless of his status.

Unless the Eagles can sign McLeod to an ultra-cheap contract in 2022, something like a one-year, $1.25 million extension that ties up all of his outstanding money in one nice, tidy number, Roseman would be wise to look elsewhere for not one but two new safeties to compete with Epps for a starting role moving forward.

Could that come in free agency? Sure, the Eagles have $22.2 million in available cap space and counting according to OvertheCap and could pursue a mid-level scheme fit like Xavier Woods come March, but the real value when it comes to safeties can be had in the NFL draft, as teams have undervalued the position so much that many a team can secure a long-term starter on Day 2 with a little luck, good scouting, and some patience.

Considering there have only been two safeties drafted in the first round over the last three drafts – three if you count Isaiah Simmons – the Eagles could easily land a player like Antoine Winfield Jr., Taylor Rapp, or Jeremy Chinn if they ID the correct guy and draft him in the second round after not one, not two, but three picks in the first round.

And hey, why not double up on the position? The Eagles haven’t drafted a safety since K’Von Wallace in 2020, and while there’s still time for him to put it all together, it doesn’t look like he’ll be starting anytime soon. Because safeties are such a specialized position at this point, good ones who are scheme-specific can be found all over the draft, as players like Jayron Kearse, Jordan Poyer, and Jalen Mills will surely tell you.

Heck, some safeties, like Rodney McLeod, went from UDFAs to NFL starters, which is both a testament to an individual player’s efforts and a reminder of how one team’s diamond in the rough safety could be another team’s afterthought.

Injuries aside, Rodney McLeod’s tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles was a resounding success. Whether paired up with his original partner, Malcolm Jenkins, Jalen Mills, or even Anthony Harris in 2021, McLeod took the assignment he was given, took to the field, and did his best every single game to execute at a high level. While that should keep him a viable player for a playoff team looking for plug-and-play starters, the Eagles would be wise to find the next Rodney McLeod instead of extending out his tenure for one more season. Barring a team-friendly farewell tour, two sides should amicably shake hands and go their separate ways.