Eagles got a steal in Rodney McLeod
The Eagles weren’t expected to make any big moves this offseason, with the limited amount of cap space they had coming into the offseason. They went out and signed a few quality free agents however, one being former Rams safety Rodney McLeod. This came as a surprise to everyone. He wasn’t linked to the Eagles until, y’know, he was signed.
Rodney McLeod is a steal signing
Not many Eagles fans necessarily knew much about him, aside from his big hit on Emmanuel Sanders in 2014. After digging, we quickly found out his 5 year, $37 million dollar deal, was a steal. Rodney McLeod was ranked as the 10th best safety in the NFL by PFF, grading out at 83.9. A three year starter in St. Louis, McLeod has been extremely durable playing at least 97% of the snaps every year.
McLeod has virtually gotten better every year he has started. His run coverage, pass coverage, and pass rushing grades have gone each year. In his deep safety role, where he played 90% of his snaps, he only allowed three TDs in four years, to go along with 3 INTs. That is exceptional.
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Rodney McLeod is extremely rangy. If you watch his highlights, you can often see him getting to the WR from insane distances, breaking up plays and or stopping them from going the distance. And, as you all know, the guy loves to hit. Having an enforcer in the secondary again will be huge. He fits the Jim Schwartz prototype in that regard.
However, we do not know whether he will play strong safety or free safety, and we don’t think it will matter much, Malcolm Jenkins and McLeod both have played the free safety position their entire careers. With McLeod’s exceptional ability to stop the run, it is assumed he will play at strong safety for the first time in his young career, allowing Jenkins to anchor the free safety spot. McLeod’s versatility will allow Jim Schwartz to get creative, something that should scare opposing offenses.
If McLeod plays up to the level he is capable of, he could be here for a very long time. This guy is only 25 years old, and is still improving in every aspect of his game. That should excite a fan base that has been waiting for the next Dawkins ever since he was let go in 2009. I’m not saying he will play up to that level, but he is certainly capable of being a cornerstone for this young defense for a very, very, long time.
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