Handicapping the Eagles CB Situation After the Addition of Josiah Scott
PHILADELPHIA - Darius Slay and cross your fingers. That seems to be the Eagles plan at cornerback in 2021.
Philadelphia did throw another contender in the mix on Tuesday, acquiring speedy second-year slot option Josiah Scott from Urban Meyer and Jacksonville in exchange for CB Jameson Houston and a 2023 sixth-round draft pick.
You probably need a scorecard to understand the players in the competition defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon and secondary coach Dennard Wilson will be leading to find the best pieces to work with after Slay, the 30-year-old three-time Pro Bowl selection set to enter his second season with the Eagles.
The names are Avonte Maddox, Craig James, Scott, rookie fourth-round pick Zech McPhearson, Mike Jacquet, Kevon Seymour, Lavert Hill, Shakial Taylor plus Grayland Arnold and Nate Meadors, who both have CB/safety versatility.
The competition is ripe with potential slot options with Maddox and Scott eerily similar from a traits standpoint as both stand 5-foot-9 with short arms and impressive stopwatch speed in the 4.4 range.
SI.com's Eagle Maven texted a former AFC personnel executive to get the skinny on Scott as a prospect coming out of Michigan State.
"Was a really good inside prospect who mirrored well at the college level," the exec said. "Not enough length to play outside but he's physical and understands run fits."
The key for Gannon will be to find the other outside CB opposite Slay since all the likely roster inhabitants: Maddox, Scott, and McPhearson are probably best-suited inside.
Jacquet, an undrafted rookie last year out of Louisiana, has the prototypical length to play outside but the former college receiver was very raw when thrown into the deep end of the pool by necessity in 2020.
On Day 1 of team drills, the best guess here is Gannon defaults to Maddox on the outside opposite Slay to start just like Jim Schwartz did last season. Scott, a fourth-round pick last season by the Jags, will start in the slot and the team will cross its fingers on McPhearson, Jacquet and perhaps Taylor providing serious competition. Craig James, a special-teams stalwart, also shouldn't be dismissed.
Why Maddox gets the nod over Scott outside is the comfort factor.
Maddox played and excelled outside in college at Pitt and remains a projection inside due to his size so he's at least somewhat more relaxed outside the numbers and perhaps more zone coverage could mask some of his length deficiencies.
Of the lesser-known options, keep your eye on Taylor, who has some of that needed length at 6-foot, and started as a UDFA in Indianapolis with Gannon in 2019. The Eagles claimed Taylor on waivers from the New York Giants in February on the recommendation of Gannon, according to a team source.
John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on both PhillyVoice.com and YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
