Philadelphia Eagles Cornerback Depth Shines in OTAs
PHILADELPHIA – There have been many things that have stood out during the two open OTA practices the Eagles have had this spring. Perhaps at the top of that list is the depth at cornerback. It starts with Isaiah Rodgers who has had a couple of pass breakups and, in the second OTA practice, intercepted Jalen Hurts attempting a quick slant to A.J. Brown and raced about 15 yards for a touchdown. There’s still a long way to go before anointing him the starter opposite Darius Slay – assuming the Eagles will eventually move on from James Bradberry – but it’s a promising start.
Rodgers isn’t the only candidate to potentially win a starter’s job. General manager Howie Roseman did a solid job bringing in depth during the draft by spending his first two picks on cornerback Quinyon Mitchell and versatile defensive back Cooper DeJean, re-signed Avonte Maddox, added free agents C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Tyler Hall, and signed undrafted free agent Shon Stephens, who had an interception last Thursday.
Roseman also did a creditable job attempting to add pieces to what is quickly becoming a position that some think may eventually become as important, if not more so, than edge rusher. The GM added Kelee Ringo in last year’s draft, moving up the board to select him early in the fourth round, and brought in undrafted free agent Eli Ricks.
Asked last week about what he sees when he looks around the DB room, Rodgers said: “A lot of great talent, a lot of great guys. A lot of guys who can play inside and outside. Just a lot of guys willing to learn, including the rookies. They come in and ask questions, questions that I never asked when I was a rookie. So just knowing that they’re willing to learn, and learn from me. Even though I was sitting out for a year, they still trust my knowledge, trust my game plan going into practice. So I think that’s the one thing about this room is that everyone is willing to learn.”
Whether cornerbacks become more important than edge rushers could be a stretch, though it’s no secret that the league is drafting receivers at a record clip. Seven of them went in the first round, tying the draft record most ever taken on the first day. In all, 35 receivers were taken in the draft, tying for the fourth-most in a seven-round draft.
The receiver invasion is real. Counting the 35 that will enter the league this season, there have been 132 taken overall in the last four years, dating back to 2021.
The Eagles are fortunate to have two of the best – A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. John Ross and Parris Campbell are fighting to be in the mix, too.
Former Eagles defensive coordinator and current Arizona Cardinals head coach Johnathan Gannon loved to say, “cover and rush, rush and cover” about how his defensive line and his secondary worked in unison to apply pressure to the quarterback. It worked in spades for the Eagles in Gannon’s final season in town, which also happened to be the year the Eagles plundered their way to 70 sacks. That total equalled the third-most by an NFL team in history, tying the number put up by the 1987 Chicago Bears and was the most sacks the league had witnessed since the 1989 Minnesota Vikings had 71. The Bears have the record of 72 set in 1984 when Chicago won the Super Bowl under future Eagles head coach and then-DC Buddy Ryan.
Should the day come when cornerback is considered of greater importance than edge rusher, the Eagles should be well-stocked.
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