Last season the Philadelphia Eagles had one of the worst/unexperienced CB Rooms in recent years. Lead by Darius Slay, James Bradberry, and Avonte Maddox, the Eagles went in 2023 with a confident group of players. Notably, James Bradberry inked an 3 year, 38 million dollar contract in the offseason prior. A deal that included 20 million in guaranteed money. However, what they expected and what they got were on 2 different sides of the scale.
You got to see plenty off different faces throughout the season. Darius Slay was fine, not great, but picked it up in the ladder half of the year. James Bradberry saw a noticeable decline after signing his new deal. Avonte Maddox was injured for 85% of the season, and was sub par when playing. This opened doors for players like Josh Jobe, Eli Ricks, and Kelee RIngo to get more playing time then expected. Ringo played good in the limited role he was given, Ricks did not impress but was OK for what you expected, and Jobe did not play well as a CB but has good value on special teams.
A move was made before the season that is benefiting the 2024 group as a whole. On August 28th, 2023, the Philadelphia Eagles signed CB Isaiah Rodgers Sr. Rodgers is a young CB out of UMass who was drafted by the Colts in the 6th round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Rodgers did not get a ton of run as a rookie, or second year player. But things changed in 2022, where he played like one of the NFL's best, defensively and returning on special teams. However, it all came to a halt when he was suspended for violating the NFL's Gambling Policy. Rodgers hasn't played since 2022, but could be a solid addition on the outside next to Slay.
Going into the draft, Eagles GM Howie Roseman knew that addressing the CB room was a top priority. Roseman selected 2 cornerbacks with his first 2 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. The first was CB Quinyon Mitchell from Toledo, a dynamic, pro-ready CB, who many believed the Eagles would have to trade up for. Eagles got him at their original pick, 22. On day 2 of the draft, Iowa swiss-army knife Cooper Dejean was still there. Roseman knew he couldn't pass up on the opportunity of selecting 2 of the top 3 CB's in the draft. So, he traded up and selected Dejean with pick 40.
Later in offseason, Avonte Maddox was released by the team on March 6th, but was later brought back by the team. Then a move that was made after Rookie Training camp was Ferris State CB Shon Stephens, the cousin of former Nittany Lion and current Steeler CB Joey Porter Jr, signing with the Eagles. Stephens, a ball-hawking defensive back could be a potential home-run signing for Roseman, atleast in the long run.
So where does this position room lie? Great question, it is more of a TBD because we will have to see how camp plays out, who impresses, who disappoints, etc. Here is my projected CB room as of now:
Darius Slay
Isaiah Rodgers Sr
Quinyon Mitchell
Cooper Dejean
Avonte Maddox
Kelee RIngo
Josh Jobe
Notable Players to miss 53:
James Bradberry
Tyler Hall
Eli Ricks
Shon Stephens:
Zech McPhearson
Comments