Philadelphia Eagles: Ranking the cornerback units of the NFC East

There’s a time-honored tradition of released players jumping from one NFC East team to another.

It happened with DeMarco Murray, with DeSean Jackson, and Corey Clement is a Washington Commanders jersey away from having collected all four jerseys while earning millions of dollars to do so.

For the Philadelphia Eagles, and by extension, their division rivals, one of these releases could ultimately define the best cornerback unit in the NFC East and provide fans in all four markets a much different experience than in seasons passed.

But which unit is the best? Let’s take a look at the wide receiving corps across the division to see how each team stacks up against their peers.

4. Washington Commanders

Of the four teams in the NFC East, only one, Washington, entered the offseason without a Pro Bowl cornerback on their roster; therefore, they have earned the lowest spot on this ranking.

Now granted, if Washington was largely relying on young corners who were still figuring it all out, that would be one thing, but the team’s expected outside starters in 2022, Kendall Fuller and William Jackson III, are both on veteran contacts and neither, unfortunately, are better than average starters at the NFL level.

Unless one of the team’s two DB draftees deliver, Percy Butler and Christian Holmes, or a buy-low free agent addition like Corn Elder can somehow beat out the odds and become a full-on star on the outside or in the slot, Washington is going to be a team opponents can throw on this fall.

Top corner – Kendall Fuller

Though he isn’t the traditional Ron Rivera cornerback, measuring in at just 5-foot-11, 196 pounds, Fuller is a good athlete for the position, a savvy ballhawk with 53 passes defensed on his resume, and the versatility to play inside and out depending on the requirements of a scheme. If the Commanders want to have a cornerback travel with an opposing team’s top receiver, Fuller will likely earn the nod over Jackson III.