Philadelphia Eagles
Biggest Post-Draft Hole: Cornerback
Anyone who watched an Eagles game for more than five minutes last year realized that the secondary was in need of an overhaul. The names on the jerseys might have been familiar, but guys like Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie played more like fans who had been pulled out of the stands to suit up at halftime. Philadelphia?s pass defense DVOA of 24.1% was the worst in the league, and three of the four starting defensive backs were among the league leaders in broken tackles. That?s the kind of performance that tends to get people fired, and now, in addition to a brand new coaching staff, the Eagles have a completely revamped secondary.
The problem is that, at least on paper, the team did a much better job of finding replacements at safety than they did at cornerback. Kenny Phillips and Patrick Chung are both young, productive players with good draft pedigrees. There are reasons why these two players were available: both are injury risks, and Chung also was benched in New England because Bill Belichick felt he freelanced too often. Still, the talent makes both players very worthwhile gambles. The additions at cornerback have less upside. Bradley Fletcher finished out the year as St. Louis? fourth corner thanks to his penchant for drawing flags. He might be a more natural slot defender, but Brandon Boykin is entrenched as the nickel back, so Fletcher will play on the outside. Cary Williams started for the Super Bowl champion Ravens, where he gave up a ton of completions by playing soft on any kind of comeback route. The one thing Williams does exceptionally well, though, is tackle -- he missed a grand total of three tackles in the last two years. And as noted before, that's a talent that was sorely missing from the Eagles' secondary.
Notable Undrafted Free Agents
Iowa State outside linebacker Jake Knott was considered a potential fourth- or fifth-round pick who slid right out of the draft in part due to the shoulder injury that prematurely ended his senior season. Knott has excellent range and good coverage skills, two traits that are largely lacking among the current Eagles linebackers. At 6-foot-2, Damion Square is a bit short for a 3-4 defensive lineman, but he started 31 games for Alabama, which is about as good a pedigree as it gets. Oregon?s Isaac Remington is a Chip Kelly import, a 6-foot-6, 305-pound defensive lineman who started the last two years for the Ducks.
-footballoutsiders
