Should the Philadelphia Eagles sign Stephon Gilmore or Tyrann Mathieu?

After drawing some interest from the Philadelphia Eagles earlier this offseason, at least according to his wife Gabrielle, Stephon Gilmore has touched down in Indianapolis to take a free agency visit with the Colts.

Granted, Gilmore could very well still opt to leave the Hoosier state without a new contract. After being traded to the Carolina Panthers on a lame-duck deal, the five-time Pro Bowler may want to take some time to find the perfect new home for the next chapter in his storied career, especially as he prepares to enter his 11th professional season. But for that to happen, another team would need to swoop in and outbid Indie for the best cornerback left on the open market.

Could the Eagles still be the team that makes that offer deep into the fourth quarter of his decision window?  Sure, the team has the 19th most remaining cap space in the league, according to Spotrac, and could sneak even a big contract like the one Gilmore is surely destined to sign under the ceiling, but will they? I guess that depends on how the Eagles prioritize their assets, especially with Tyrann Mathieu reportedly very much in the cards.

So that got me thinking, which player would the Philadelphia Eagles prioritize with the 2022 NFL Draft just over two weeks away, Stephon Gilmore or Tyrann Mathieu? Both are multiple-time Pro Bowlers and All-Pro players and could help to define the defense this fall. Let’s attempt to find out.

Which Pro Bowler makes more sense for the Philadelphia Eagles?

Alright, so the easiest way to determine which player the Philadelphia Eagles would be better off signing is which position is more valuable, cornerback or safety, right?

On paper, that answer is obvious: Pro Bowl cornerbacks are more valuable than Pro Bowl safeties, and considering the Eagles have pretty big holes at both positions, shoring up the perimeter spot opposite Darius Slay should take priority over finding a partner for Anthony Harris deployed deep. Factor in the depth at both positions, with Marcus Epps grading out as the 18th ranked safety in the NFL last year according to PFF versus Zech McPhearson, who wasn’t ranked because he didn’t play enough snaps but had a less than ideal 64.2 overall grade, and landing the best possible cornerback has to be a priority for the Eagles both in 2022 and beyond.

But here’s the thing, is Stephon Gilmore really that player? I mean yeah, he was named a Pro Bowler as recently as 2021 and will surely play at a similar level this fall in a CB2 role, but will he still be that same caliber of player in 2026, when he’s 36 and the players selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft are playing on their fifth-year options?

I don’t think so.

You see, therein lies the issue with signing Gilmore now, especially for a team that has eyes for a cornerback atop the 2022 NFL Draft; unlike virtually every other position in the NFL, teams almost never play more than two perimeter cornerbacks in any given game unless something goes really wrong. They don’t rotate in like defensive linemen, play specifically in different sub-packages like linebackers, or have a varied role like safeties that could see three different players play a ton of snaps; they pretty much just play their spot and are expected to slow down opposing receivers for the entire game. If the Eagles want to select a player like Sauce Gardner, Derek Stingley Jr., or any of the other three corners with a first-round grade to serve as their CB2 for the next half-decade, Gilmore would either find himself a man without a position or the young corner in question would have to ride the bench until a move is made one way or another.

Tyrann Mathieu, by contrast, is a very unique player who doesn’t have a direct analog in the forthcoming draft. He has a very specific set of skills, can impact games in a variety of different ways, and is smart enough to make the players around him better. If the Eagles were to draft another safety, they could still see the field early and often in defensive sub-packages and could then take on a bigger role in 2023, when Harris is once again a free agent.

Unless Gilmore were to accept a one-year deal, which feels unlikely considering he lived up to the terms of his last contract, bringing in Mathieu simply makes more sense for the Eagles, especially when you consider he doesn’t turn 30 until May 13th.

Will the Philadelphia Eagles enter the draft with either Tyrann Mathieu or Stephon Gilmore under contract? Only time will tell. For all we know, the latter has already agreed to a contract with the Indianapolis Colts, and this all could be for not. But if given a choice between the two players, Howie Roseman should select the “Honey Badger,” as his unique bag of tricks, when coupled with the bevy of talented cornerbacks available atop the draft, makes the choice a rather obvious one.