Although the Philadelphia Eagles currently boast one of the NFL‘s best defenses, as expected, they look worse than what stats show. Several key players are blowing key plays, and blowing them badly. Despite the team’s surprising 3-0 start–in large part to rookie quarterback Carson Wentz and fantastic defensive play up front–Philadelphia’s perimeter defenders have much growing up to do in the upcoming weeks. While things looked significantly improved in a dominating Week Three victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, there remains work to be done.
The Philadelphia Eagles Cornerbacks Need Help
What’s Wrong?
Jalen Mills isn’t quite ready: Mills got his first extended look back in Week Two against the Chicago Bears, and made some rookie mistakes. Mills got beat by Alshon Jeffery on a long bomb from Jay Cutler on one of the most impressive throws of the season so far. Apart from that and a few other bad plays, he looks absolutely spectacular for a sixth-round rookie. He’ll likely start by season’s end if his progression continues on its current course.
Leodis McKelvin isn’t good: Contrary to the front office’s belief, McKelvin wasn’t good, or even average prior to sustaining a hamstring strain in Week One. He’d been blowing coverage almost as badly as Bradley Fletcher used to, and he hadn’t been covering top-tier pass-catchers with top-tier quarterbacks. Having him shadow Odell Beckham would be a nightmare and an embarrassing failure. Along with Beckham, the NFC East features receivers Dez Bryant, DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon. With so many solid pass-catchers in the division, top-notch secondary play is paramount.
The Washington Redskins and the New York Giants recognized this and respectively signed big free agents Josh Norman and Janoris Jenkins to massive deals. The Eagles thought they had a cheap alternative in McKelvin. That certainly hasn’t panned out as anybody in the organization expected, even prior to his injury. McKelvin could very possibly continue to struggle when he returns form his Week One hamstring starin.
On the bright side, Ron Brooks doesn’t look bad on the outside, and neither does Nolan Carroll. Neither of them, however, are truly number-one corners, and that is a serious problem based on the pass-catchers in this division. So far this season, the corners are the weakest point on the defense, but they are significantly better this year than last, and the depth isn’t as bad either. This is certainly a group that can be bolstered, especially in the draft.
Potential Solutions
Move Nolan Carroll to the number-one spot: As stated, there isn’t a true number-one corner on the roster. However, Nolan Carroll has shown he’s a better player than Leodis McKelvin, and perhaps if he took his spot it’d be less disastrous. Also, McKelvin could thrive in the number-two spot against lesser (though still quite good) competition.
Completely Remove McKelvin from the starting lineup: While McKelvin certainly isn’t good, he adds half-decent depth. In this scenario, Carroll would move to number one, but instead of slotting McKelvin to number two when he returns from injury, either Ron Brooks or Jalen Mills would take it (more likely Brooks). Cutting McKelvin just isn’t an option with the current roster.
Wait it out for next year’s draft: Despite his woes, McKelvin hasn’t been “Bradley Fletcher bad.” It’s possible to keep him in the starting role when he returns from injury. Ideally, Minnesota doesn’t play too well (an unlikely outcome given their start to the season), so the Eagles get a better draft position with the picks acquires in the Sam Bradford trade. Their first pick should absolutely be a corner.
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