The Philadelphia Eagles might be at the top of the division, but they're not trending in the right direction. General manager Howie Roseman knows the secondary defense has been a liability this season, and he's running out of time to fix that before the playoffs.
Veteran cornerback Adoree' Jackson has been one of the weakest links on the team all year long. The lack of a reliable CB2 to start opposite Quinyon Mitchell has been a concern, and moving Cooper DeJean to the outside has done little to help. Philly fans were hoping that a potential Darius Slay reunion could alleviate the Eagles of their Jackson woes, but those dreams were dashed by the Buffalo Bills.
Bills' Darius Slay Waiver Claim Adds to Eagles' Adoree' Jackson Woes
According to Zach Berman of The Athletic, the Eagles tried to address that issue by bringing back Slay after he was waived by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Unfortunately, the Bills had a higher waiver priority due to their strength of schedule.
"Darius Slay was claimed by the Bills — he won’t be coming to the Eagles. Had he cleared waivers (or even reached the Eagles), it could have been a different story," Berman wrote.
Even though they weren't successful, the Eagles' attempt to claim Slay hints that they don't trust Jackson to hold down the fort going forward. Now, he can either be more motivated to prove that he's the guy they need, or he might tune out and be even worse because he knows they don't trust him anymore.
Of course, this is a business first and foremost, and the players have to be professionals regardless of the situation. That being said, Jackson might be pretty much aware of the fact that his team doesn't want him there anymore. That has to be awkward moving forward, especially with five regular-season games and a playoff run to come.
Jackson has been one of the worst cornerbacks in the league this season. His Pro Football Focus grade of 46.8 ranks 105th among 110 eligible players. Although that grading doesn't paint the whole picture, the fact that he's given up 30 catches for 351 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. His 98.5 passer rating when targeted is also the second-worst effort of his career.
Jackson is going to be a free agent at the end of the season, and while the Eagles definitely won't bring him back and he may not want to return to a team he's not wanted, he will have to turn things around in the final stretch of the season to earn himself a new deal somewhere else. If not, and he keeps providing more issues than solutions, it's safe to say things will only get more awkward moving forward.