Philadelphia Eagles: Don’t forget about Josiah Scott

‘The addition of Jimmy Moreland opens up the Philadelphia Eagles‘ entire secondary.’

Have you heard something like that since Howie Roseman was awarded the former seventh-round slot cornerback out of James Madison off of waivers from the Houston Texans? Well, you’re not alone; Moreland has become a bit of a darkhorse fan favorite without so much as taking the field for the team.

Sidebar: Do you know what number Moreland is going to wear for the Eagles this fall? Yeah, that would be 47. If Moreland does, in fact, make the roster this fall, he’ll probably look to change that.

Could Moreland not only make the Eagles’ roster this fall but perform so well that he forced Avonte Maddox back to free safety? Sure, anything is possible, but for that to happen, Moreland not only has to prove himself up to par with one of the best slot cornerbacks in the NFL, which Maddox very much is, but beat out Josiah Scott, the team’s backup slot cornerback in 2021, for the role, a task that is easier said than done.

Don’t overlook Josiah Scott just yet, Philadelphia Eagles fans.

Josiah Scott played just 90 defensive snaps for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021. He appeared in 13 games without a single start and saw consistent defensive snaps in three games: Weeks 8, 15, and 18. Over those snaps, Scott was targeted nine times and allowed just six catches for 86 yards and a single touchdown.

All in all, not too shabby; only 23 of Scott’s yards surrendered came after the catch, and his sure tackling, connecting on all 12 he attempted, proved solid for a cornerback who was evenly tested with operating in traffic out of the slot and on the outside versus the Dallas Cowboys in Week 18.

Scott was also a plus special teamer for the Eagles, as he logged double-digit snaps on the game’s third phase in all of the 13 regular season games he appeared in. In the playoffs, Scott’s special teams snaps jumped up to a career-high 27, good for 97 percent of the team’s snaps, and he actually logged two solo tackles on Jaelon Darden, which is both very uncommon and very good indeed.

Factor in his plus strength, speed, and collegiate pedigree as a fourth-round pick out of Michigan State, and there’s little reason to believe that Scott shouldn’t take a step forward for the Eagles this fall, especially with a full summer in Jonathan Gannon’s defense; a benefit he wasn’t afforded in 2021 considering he was acquired via trade on May 18th for a 2023 sixth-round pick and Jameson Houston.

Huh, so if Scott was such a good prospect, why was he traded by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first place, especially for such a meager return? Well, because Urban Meyer didn’t feel he fit the defensive scheme he wanted to run. If Scott was drafted by any other team in the NFL, he’d likely be in the conversation to start either in the slot or as a dime defensive back, but alas, because of Avonte Maddox’s ascension and Jonathan Gannon’s seeming unwillingness to run a traditional defensive dime package, the only opportunities fans were afforded to see the collegiate Spartan in action was in three games of action and on special teams.

I mean, goodness, Lance Zierlein from NFL.com compared Scott to Maddox coming out of East Lansing in his pre-draft scouting report for goodness sake; if the Eagles want to move Maddox back to free safety to keep him on the field for as many snaps as possible, Scott, not Jimmy Moreland, feels like the logical first man up to take his spot.

Should the Philadelphia Eagles play Josiah Scott at slot cornerback this fall? No, I firmly believe Avonte Maddox is their best on-team option on the interior by a wide margin, and moving him off the ball to free safety would be like playing Miles Sanders at slot receiver full time because he has good hands for a running back. But if the Eagles do opt to go that route, don’t be surprised if Scott, not Jimmy Moreland, is the cornerback who fills his shoes, as he’s younger, faster, and under contract for one more season than his new teammate.