{"id":2205,"date":"2016-09-28T14:02:00","date_gmt":"2016-09-28T18:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/?p=2205"},"modified":"2021-03-20T13:25:17","modified_gmt":"2021-03-20T17:25:17","slug":"the-philadelphia-eagles-cornerbacks-need-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2016\/09\/28\/the-philadelphia-eagles-cornerbacks-need-help\/","title":{"rendered":"The Philadelphia Eagles Cornerbacks Need Help"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although\u00a0the Philadelphia Eagles<\/strong>\u00a0currently boast one of the NFL<\/strong>‘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 <\/strong><\/a>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\u00a0in a dominating Week Three victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers<\/strong>, there remains work to be done.<\/p>\n

The Philadelphia Eagles Cornerbacks Need Help<\/h2>\n

What’s Wrong?<\/h3>\n

Jalen Mills<\/a>\u00a0isn’t quite ready:\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Mills got his first extended look\u00a0back in\u00a0Week Two against the Chicago Bears, and made some rookie mistakes. Mills got beat by\u00a0Alshon Jeffery<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>on a long bomb from\u00a0Jay Cutler <\/a><\/span><\/span><\/strong>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\u00a0by season’s end if his progression continues on its current course.<\/p>\n

Leodis McKelvin<\/a> isn’t good: \u00a0<\/strong><\/em>Contrary to the front office’s\u00a0belief, McKelvin\u00a0wasn’t good, or even average prior to sustaining a hamstring strain in Week One.\u00a0He’d been blowing coverage almost as badly as Bradley Fletcher<\/a><\/strong> used to, and\u00a0he hadn’t been\u00a0covering top-tier\u00a0pass-catchers\u00a0with top-tier quarterbacks. Having him shadow Odell Beckham<\/a> <\/strong>would be a nightmare and an embarrassing failure. Along with Beckham, the NFC East features receivers\u00a0Dez Bryant<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0DeSean Jackson <\/strong><\/a>and\u00a0Pierre Garcon<\/a><\/strong>. With so many solid pass-catchers in the division, top-notch secondary play is paramount.<\/p>\n

The Washington Redskins<\/strong>\u00a0and the New York Giants<\/strong> recognized this and respectively signed big free agents Josh Norman<\/strong><\/a> and\u00a0Janoris Jenkins<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0to 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.<\/p>\n

On the bright side, Ron Brooks<\/a><\/strong> doesn’t look bad on the outside, and neither does Nolan Carroll<\/a><\/strong>. Neither of them, however,\u00a0are truly number-one corners, and that is a serious problem based on the pass-catchers in this division.\u00a0 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,\u00a0especially in the draft.<\/p>\n

Potential Solutions<\/h3>\n

Move Nolan Carroll to the number-one spot:\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>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.<\/p>\n

Completely Remove McKelvin from the starting lineup:\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>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.<\/p>\n

Wait it out for next year’s draft:\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>Despite his woes,\u00a0McKelvin hasn’t been “Bradley Fletcher bad.” It’s possible to keep him in the starting role when he returns from injury. Ideally, Minnesota<\/strong> 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.\u00a0Their first pick should absolutely be a corner.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n