Eagles Stay or Go 2024: Time to get younger at cornerback?
Eagles Stay or Go 2024: Time to get younger at cornerback? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Reuben Frank and Dave Zangaro bring back Stay or Go in 2024, trying to figure out the futures of every Eagles player on the roster.
We already looked at quarterback, running back, receiver, tight end, interior offensive line, offensive tackle, specialists, defensive tackle, edge and linebacker.
Up today: Cornerback
Roob: Can he be a backup? No. Can he convert to safety? No. Can he play the slot? No. Bradberry is a good dude and an accountable guy and a class act and a good teammate, but none of that is enough for him to be on this football team next year. When you go from one of the best corners in the league to one of the worst, you don’t go back. The cap hit? Howie will deal with that. The Eagles have to move on.
Verdict: Goes
Dave: Sometimes when a cornerback loses it, he loses it fast. And that’s what seemed to happen to Bradberry last season. Coming off a second-team All-Pro nod, the Eagles found a way to run it back with Darius Slay and Bradberry. While Slay was fine, Bradberry’s play really fell off to the point where he became a rotational player in the playoffs. The Eagles gave Bradberry a three-year, $38 million deal last offseason and there’s no easy way to get away from it. Cutting Bradberry with a post-June 1 designation might be the way to go. Either way, it’s hard to imagine the Eagles bringing him back for another season. They need to get younger at the position and they’re not going to move on from Slay.
Verdict: Goes
Roob: He’s got decent size and got a taste of the NFL in three games as a game-day elevation. He’s welcome back in camp, and he’s got some promising traits, but he’s got a ways to go before he can be a regular contributor on defense.
Verdict: Goes
Dave: During training camp last year, I took a look at the rookie Garner (6-2, 212) and said he looked like a safety. And, sure enough, during the season when the Eagles needed safeties, they elevated Garner to play that position. He ended up playing in three regular season games and the playoff game and should have a chance to compete for a roster spot this summer. But my guess is the Eagles will be active to replenish this position and that might leave Garner as an odd man out.
Verdict: Goes
Roob: Another one of the young undrafted defensive backs who got to play because of the rash of injuries that hit the Eagles’ secondary. Goodrich got a shot at the slot and some special teams early in the season but it didn’t go too well and he didn’t play after Week 6. I’d expect him back in camp, but unless he makes a big jump in Year 3 I can’t see him on the 53.
Verdict: Goes
Dave: The Eagles kept Goodrich as their backup nickel on the initial 53-man roster and then the first game without Avonte Maddox, they decided to go in a different direction. That didn’t make sense to me. Why even keep Goodrich on the roster if you don’t trust him in his role? Anyway, he’s in the mix for a roster spot but the former UDFA from Clemson still seems like a better fit on the practice squad, where his 2023 season ended.
Verdict: Goes
Roob: Jobe played a team-high 323 special teams snaps this year, and it's an area he excels. You like Jobe’s physicality as a corner, but he really needs to work on his technique. He was called for six penalties this year, including three DPIs, despite playing just 240 defensive snaps. Jobe isn’t a roster lock depending on how many new corners the Eagles bring in, but his value on special teams is probably enough for him to stick around.
Verdict: Stays
Dave: While he lost his role as the top backup outside corner this season, it was still a pretty good year for Jobe, who became a fantastic gunner and one of the best special teams players on the roster. Michael Clay gave Jobe the nickname “Wild Stallion” and Jobe ended up playing 323 special teams snaps, the most on the entire team. A role on special teams isn’t always enough to keep a player on the roster but I think it’ll do the trick for the former UDFA from Alabama.
Verdict: Stays
Avonte Maddox
Roob: I expect Maddox to be here, mainly because he’s a very good slot when he’s healthy and it would create nearly $8 million in dead money to cut him. But the Eagles also can’t count on him to man the slot just because his injury history is so extensive. So the plan needs to keep him around as the top inside guy as long as he stays healthy but also find a capable replacement in case he gets hurt.
Verdict: Stays
Dave: Something has to give with Maddox’s contract. In the final year of his contract, Maddox has a base salary of nearly $7 million in 2024 and a cap hit of just under $9.7 million. I’m very confident he won’t be back on his current deal. Now, if Maddox agrees to a significant pay cut, then he could return. This is even trickier because Maddox has been a productive player but he’s also been injured a ton and it’s hard to rely on him. This could go either way but the Eagles might move on with a post-June 1 designation.
Verdict: Goes
Roob: Before he suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in camp, McPhearson was in the mix in the slot and he was also one of the Eagles’ better special teamers. He played more special teams snaps over the 2021 and 2022 seasons – 687 – than anybody else on the team. You never know how anybody is going to look coming off a blown-out Achilles, but a healthy McPhearson on the final year of a 4th-round rookie deal does make sense.
Verdict: Stays
Dave: This is a tricky one because McPhearson is coming off an Achilles injury from last summer. But when healthy, McPhearson looked like a solid backup cornerback outside and in the slot and was also a major special teams contributor in his first two seasons in the NFL. He’s not a guaranteed roster guy but as long as he looks fine physically, I think he’ll be here for the fourth year of his rookie contract as a former fourth-round pick.
Verdict: Stays
Roob: Mullenwas still with the Chargers in training camp so we haven’t seen much of him, but at 5-foot-8. 180 pounds, he’s going to be a longshot. The only corners that short who’ve ever played for the Eagles are Mark McMillian in the early 1990s and Nickell Robey-Coleman in 2020. Any corner who’s gotten this far at 5-8 is someone you have to root for so it should be fun watching him this summer.
Verdict: Goes
Dave: Mullen was a UDFA last year and joined the Eagles practice squad after he was released by the Chargers. He’s a 5-8 cornerback who wasn’t with the team most of the season before signing back to the practice squad in January. He’s a longshot.
Verdict: Goes
Roob: The plan when the season began certainly wasn’t for Ricks to play the 3rd-most snaps among outside corners, but as an undrafted rookie he got thrown into the fire and handled it well. He may have been undrafted, but he had that Alabama swagger and played with a toughness and fearlessness that tells you he may have a chance.
Verdict: Stays
Dave: The UDFA from Alabama (and LSU) ended up having a really nice rookie season with the Birds. He played in 16 games and saw some time on defense as well as on special teams. He earned his role earlier in the season than the draft pick at his position. Not sure if Ricks can grow into a starting player but I saw enough from him last year to want to find out in the future. If nothing else, he looks like a nice depth piece who can keep helping on special teams.
Verdict: Stays
Roob: The Eagles were patient with Ringo, who played one defensive snap the first 12 games of the season before working his way into the regular rotation and averaging nearly 40 snaps the rest of the season. Their patience paid off because by the end of the year Ringo was giving the Eagles some auspicious play for a young inexperienced rookie. He should have started the wild-card game in place of Bradberry, but while he did eventually replace Bradberry it was too late. Assuming Bradberry is gone and depending what the Eagles do in the draft, Ringo should get the first crack at a starting spot next summer. He’s got a chance to be really good.
Verdict: Stays
Dave: The Eagles obviously liked Ringo enough to trade away a 2024 third-round pick to get up to the top of the fourth round to draft him. That’s the type of move Howie Roseman really never makes. When the Eagles made that pick, we knew Ringo was a raw 20-year-old with some crazy athletic tools. And because of how raw he was, it took a long time for Ringo to see the field on defense. But after carving out a role on special teams and impressing in practice, Ringo became a starter when Slay missed time and he performed really well. It’s not out of the question to think that he could be a starter in the future, perhaps even this upcoming season.
Verdict: Stays
Roob: Roby is in that group of older veteran defensive players who came in during the season, showed a few flashes here and there but ultimately were just not very good. He’ll be 32 this spring and if he plays an 11th NFL season it wont’ be here.
Verdict: Goes
Dave: The Eagles’ 31-year-old joined the Eagles in the middle of the season but it’s hard to imagine he’ll be returning. The Eagles need to get younger at cornerback and if they want to bring in a veteran defensive back it might end up being someone with ties to Vic Fangio.
Verdict: Goes
Roob: This should be fun. Rodgers is expected back from his year-long suspension for violating the NFL’s gambling policy, and the Eagles are getting a three-year veteran who just turned 26 last month and had three interceptions for the Colts in 2021. While it’s not a lock Rodgers will make the team, here’s a guy who’s started games in the NFL and had some productive stretches and plays a position where the Eagles need a lot of help, so it’s potentially a good fit. We’ll have to see how Rodgers bounces back after sitting all year and not even being in an NFL environment. You can bet a lot of eyeballs will be watching Rodgers in camp.
Verdict: Stays
Dave: We haven’t seen Rodgers play in over a year but he should be returning from suspension. The 26-year-old Rodgers was a sixth-round pick back in 2020 and had his best season in 2022 before missing an entire season. He was a productive player for the Colts in 2022, playing in 15 games with 9 starts. I’m just going on a hunch here.
Verdict: Stays
Darius Slay
Roob: Slay isn’t the Slay of old, but he’s still pretty good and overall was more consistent in 2023 than in 2022. You would hope that with an upgraded safety spot (presumably) and better play at the other corner positions (presumably) and an improved pass rush (presumably), Slay will be fine in 2024. But he is 33 and that’s a dangerous age for cornerbacks. Troy Vincent is the Eagles’ only regular starting cornerback 33 or older since 1980. This is a position where the Eagles clearly need to get younger and faster, but with his play in 2023 and his contract, Slay will be the guy for at least one more year.
Verdict: Stays
Dave: I saw a lot of people lumping Slay and Bradberry together this past season and that’s unfair. Because maybe Slay didn’t have a Pro Bowl caliber season but he was still pretty good. Now, if you’re questioning whether a 33-year-old cornerback can continue to play at that level, it’s a very fair question. But from a financial perspective, the Eagles really can’t afford to move on from both starters and Slay is the one you’d like to keep. The Eagles should start to think of an exit strategy but Slay will be back for 2024.
Verdict: Stays
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