Philadelphia Eagles: 3 veteran cornerbacks worth signing in 2022

 

There’s no doubt about it: The Philadelphia Eagles got a whole lot better in April.

They traded for a Pro Bowl wide receiver, drafted some really good players, and even secured the services of a handful of quality undrafted rookies who could pay dividends long-term.

But despite all of that forthcoming talent soon to descend on the City of Brotherly Love, there’s one area of the team that Howie Roseman – intentionally or not – failed to address during the 2022 NFL Draft and the periods pre and proceeding it: The defensive secondary.

With Tyrann Mathieu set to return to his hometown of New Orleans and Stephon Gilmore spurning Pennsylvania for Indiana, the chances of the Eagles securing an obvious difference-maker in their defensive secondary is slim, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

There is still value to be found in free agency for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Recall, if you will, when the Eagles signed Patrick Robinson to a one-year, $775,000 contract. Robinson was on his fourth team in as many years and was signed to compete for a spot in the defensive secondary. Robinson won the slot corner spot and turned in a season for the ages on an eventual run to the Super Bowl – a season he parlayed to a four-year, $20 million deal with those darn New Orleans Saints.

While signing a sure thing like J.C. Jackson *almost* guarantees a team the sort of upgrade they desire at a position of need – *remember Byran Maxwell/Nnamdi Asomugha?* – finding an overlooked veteran who is a schematic fit can be useful too, especially if magic strikes and the pairing meshes like peanut butter and chocolate. Here are three cornerbacks who may not be a team’s first choice but could provide solid utility to a Philadelphia Eagles team looking for performers willing to compete for a starting spot this fall.

Once upon a time, Kyle Fuller was considered one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL.

A former first-round pick in 2014, Fuller signed a four-year, $56 million contract with $18 million with the Chicago Bears in 2018 and immediately made good on that financial commitment with two-straight trips to the Pro Bowls from 2018-19, and a spot on the All-Pro team in 2018. While things tapered off when the Bears replaced Vic Fangio with Chuck Pagano, leading to his release in 2021 following a down year in 2020, Fuller was still able to secure a new one-year, $9.5 million deal with his former defensive coordinator as a member of the Denver Broncos, where he was expected to start across from first-round pick Patrick Surtain II.

Was Fuller perfect with the Broncos? No, the team looked into trading him before the deadline and clearly preferred to use Surtain and our old pal Ronald Darby as their starters on the outside, but because of injuries across the lineup, Fuller still appeared in 16 games with 10 starts and turned in an honest effort for a team that largely underwhelmed versus expectations.

So why would the Philadelphia Eagles be interested in Fuller? Well, because he’s a 5-foot-11, 190-pound cornerback with long arms, 4.4 speed, and extensive experience pressing at the line of scrimmage. Fuller has played in man and zone schemes, and while he isn’t a certified ballhawk, he does have 19 interceptions, and 86 passes defensed to his credit and could prove a solid CB2 opposite Darius Slay assuming he gets plenty of help over the top and is allowed to get physical at the line of scrimmage. Of the players left on the free agent market, Fuller is my clear CB1.

If Kyle Fuller is your textbook example of a former star looking to rehab his career after two down years, Trae Waynes is the athletic marvel who never quite put it together on an NFL field.

Like Fuller, Waynes is a former first-round pick who turned in a combine for the ages after a successful run at Michigan State, but those testing numbers, headlined by a 4.31 40, haven’t translated to on-field production. Even Waynes’ best season as a pro, which came in 2017 as a member of the Minnesota Vikings, was relatively average, and when his contract came up in 2021, Mike Zimmer and company opted against retaining his services, allowing the collegiate Spartan to sign a three-year, $42 million contract with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Unfortunately, Waynes never quite lived up to that deal, and after only appearing in five games with four starts, he was placed in season-ending IR and then released in March of this year.

Is Waynes as good a player as Fuller?  No, give me the latter any time, but he does have experience playing in the Zimmer scheme Jonathan Gannon came up under, and he was even coached by the Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive coordinator from 2015-17, so there is a logical connection between the two parties.

In 2021, the Philadelphia Eagles signed a former member of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ secondary after failing to secure a cornerback in the draft.

That decision worked out pretty darn well, as Steven Nelson served as a calming presence across from Darius Slay in 2021, so, with a similar need frustratingly still there in 2022, why not return to Pennsylvania’s other football team and see if they can provide another veteran stopgap to keep Jonathan Gannon’s secondary potent?

Fortunately, this year’s former Steelers is Joe Haden, who you probably know if you’ve been keeping up with football over the past decade or so.

A Maryland-born prospect who played his college ball at Howie Roseman’s alma mater, the University of Florida, Haden has made it to three Pro Bowls over his 12 professional seasons and has earned a reputation for being one of the more entertaining defensive backs the NFL has to offer. With 29 interceptions and 155 passes defensed to his credit, Haden knows how to attack a ball when it’s in the air, and while he isn’t the athlete he once was, Haden can still go, especially with safety support over the top.

After playing in Pittsburgh’s scheme, which largely played with a single safety deployed deep and another in the box, Haden could sneak another solid season onto his resume in the Philadelphia Eagles’ new, more cornerback-friendly scheme.

Who would you like to see the Philadelphia Eagles sign to compete with Zech McPhearson, Tay Gowan, Josh Jobe, and Mario Goodrich on the outside? Are you a big fan of Xavier Rhodes, who played for Jonathan Gannon in Minnesota and Indianapolis? Let us know.

https://section215.com/2022/05/03/philadelphia-eagles-3-veteran-cb-2022/

I like to see some details about Kevin King also. 

I think King is a good player but I think he's had some real injury issues during his time in the NFL? Fuller is the one I'd like to see us bring in but I'm not sure they are going to bring anyone in at this point. 

2 hours ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

I think King is a good player but I think he's had some real injury issues during his time in the NFL? Fuller is the one I'd like to see us bring in but I'm not sure they are going to bring anyone in at this point. 

With King, he had a good start to the NFL. But then he started to really mess up in important moments. Know some Packers fans so I saw some games and King looked poor a few times.

With Fuller I think we had some opportunities to get him but didn’t.

Looking at what we were trying to do so far, pretty sure the last big move will be for a safety anyways. Slay-Maddox-McPhearson will probably start..

James Bradberry may soon be shaking free.  Only 28 ... he'd be worth a look.  Was on my short list of FAs back in 2020.  

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/05/04/with-no-trade-market-developing-giants-close-to-releasing-james-bradberry/

18 hours ago, time2rock said:

James Bradberry may soon be shaking free.  Only 28 ... he'd be worth a look.  Was on my short list of FAs back in 2020.  

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/05/04/with-no-trade-market-developing-giants-close-to-releasing-james-bradberry/

Think he’s gonna be too expensive. And honestly in knowing this is not a year we are truly competing for a Super Bowl, it’s time to let the kids play and see what we got. McPhearson, Gowan, Epps, Vincent, Wallace, Goodrich, Jobe, Blackwell, Scott, MacCain, Blankenship,  Chachere…these guys need to earn their spots in TC and cut their teeth in extensive action. No more Nelson or McLeod to hide behind. Slay/Maddox/Whoever earns it at CB and the 2 best safeties start. 

5 hours ago, Outlaw said:

Think he’s gonna be too expensive. And honestly in knowing this is not a year we are truly competing for a Super Bowl, it’s time to let the kids play and see what we got. McPhearson, Gowan, Epps, Vincent, Wallace, Goodrich, Jobe, Blackwell, Scott, MacCain, Blankenship,  Chachere…these guys need to earn their spots in TC and cut their teeth in extensive action. No more Nelson or McLeod to hide behind. Slay/Maddox/Whoever earns it at CB and the 2 best safeties start. 

That would actually be my preference as well - I just don't know if Howie will sit tight there at that CB2 spot.  I've been saying all along I think we are more than just a single offseason away from building this roster the right way (which to me means not being tempted to walk both sides of the line ... trying to build for the future while also making moves to compete now by adding expensive aging veteran band aids to fill holes).  I'd much sooner roll with what we have and get a better evaluation of the young unproven players we have - give them all a chance through the camps to see if one can separate from the pack at each of those 2 spots (CB2, S2) ... adding a vet now pretty much solidifies them into that spot and reduces the time the young guys get hindering their development.  I just think Howie is going to add a vet there (CB2) ... if we do, Bradberry would be my choice.  He may be expensive but at least he is still relatively young (28) and if we sign him to say a 3 year deal it would solidify the secondary for the next few years and not be looking to address it every offseason.  My 2 cents.  

1 hour ago, time2rock said:

That would actually be my preference as well - I just don't know if Howie will sit tight there at that CB2 spot.  I've been saying all along I think we are more than just a single offseason away from building this roster the right way (which to me means not being tempted to walk both sides of the line ... trying to build for the future while also making moves to compete now by adding expensive aging veteran band aids to fill holes).  I'd much sooner roll with what we have and get a better evaluation of the young unproven players we have - give them all a chance through the camps to see if one can separate from the pack at each of those 2 spots (CB2, S2) ... adding a vet now pretty much solidifies them into that spot and reduces the time the young guys get hindering their development.  I just think Howie is going to add a vet there (CB2) ... if we do, Bradberry would be my choice.  He may be expensive but at least he is still relatively young (28) and if we sign him to say a 3 year deal it would solidify the secondary for the next few years and not be looking to address it every offseason.  My 2 cents.  

There will be less expensive options. I'd be fine with Kyle Fuller. Ideally, I'd like to see the following happen over the course of training camp:

CB1: Slay

CB2: McPhearson

SLOT: Maddox

RESERVES: Gowan (OCB), Scott/Blackwell (SCB), Goodrich/Jobe (OCB)

 

FS: Vincent

SS: Epps

RESERVES: Blankenship (FS), Wallace (SS), Chachere (FS)

 

Get rid of Harris and let these young kids play.

If Bradberry becomes available he'd be my choice.

A CB stable of Slay, Bradberry, Maddox, McPhereson, Jobe and Goodrich and two of the others on the practice squad would be fine with me.