Eagles Veteran CBs: More Concerning Than Expected?
PHILADELPHIA – What if the Philadelphia Eagles linebacker group turns out not to be a concern for its lack of proven depth?
What if the receiver group turns out to be fine, with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith staying healthy for another season, Quez Watkins figuring it out this offseason, and Olamide Zaccheaus becoming a reliable commodity?
What if Cam Jurgens settles in nicely at right guard and makes everybody forget Isaac Seumalo?
Rarely does everything go as scripted during an 18-week NFL season plus training camp and playoffs.
Even if all that goes well for the Eagles, who’s to say something will happen that was unexpected – injuries to key players not included?
One area that could be concerning could be the cornerback spot.
On the surface, all seems well and good. A pair of veterans in Darius Slay and James Bradberry, who have combined for a total of 249 starts in the league, will once again lead the secondary. Slay has made five Pro Bowls in the last six years, with Bradberry earning one Pro Bowl nod and a second-team All-Pro bid following last season.
The downside to all that experience is that they have been in the league for a long time. Slay is 32. Bradberry will join him in the 30-something club on Aug. 4.
Thirty is a frightening number for a professional athlete, particularly an NFL player. Somewhere on the journey through his 30. he loses half a step, and losing a half-step on the corner can be lethal when going against younger, speedy, shifty receivers.
The Eagles have added depth on the outside this offseason, drafting Kelee Ringo and signing Greedy Williams in free agency.
They like the way last year’s undrafted free agent, Alabama's Josh Jobe, looked enough to keep him on the 53-man roster and added another UDFA from Alabama in April, Eli Ricks.
Perhaps they saw what happened with Slay last year when he started strong but wore down as the year went on. He admitted it was a long season.
It won’t get any shorter now that he’s set to turn 33 on Jan. 1. There’s nothing wrong with Slay’s indomitable attitude, though.
“Like Slay told me - 30 is the new 20, so he’ll be able to play a little longer, hopefully,” Eagles defensive backs coach D.K. McDonald said on June 1.
McDonald said that both players are taking care of their bodies, so the hope is that half-step loss won’t come for another year or longer.
“I think what they’re doing with their bodies is what they’ve always done, the stuff off the field,” he said. “Putting right things in their bodies, all the stretching, that’s what they’ve always done, so I don’t think anything’s going to change for them.
"That’s why they’re able to play at a high level, efficiently right now because they’ve done all those things to make sure their body is capable to go play on Sunday, or Thursday or Monday, whenever we play. That’s the good thing about them. They’re pros, they know how to do that.”
It certainly looks like the Eagles have the corners covered … until the unexpected happens.
Ed Kracz covers the Philadelphia Eagles for SI's EaglesToday.
Please follow him and our Eagles coverage on Twitter at @kracze.
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