Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda: Optimism at CB

Sometimes the pieces fall into place and that’s the hope in Philadelphia at cornerback, long a trouble spot during the Jim Schwartz era.

The Eagles expect to have at least two new starters - trade pickup Darius Slay and slot corner Nickell Robey-Coleman - with the third, Avonte Maddox, penciled to move from inside to outside.

Slay, a three-time Pro Bowl selection in Detroit was acquired for third- and fifth-round selections in the 2020 draft after general manager Howie Roseman got priced out in the Byron Jones sweepstakes during free agency.

At 29, Slay is far more accomplished than Jones as a player and a bit cheaper after signing a big-money extension with the Eagles that guaranteed him $30 million. The questions on Slay center in his decline with the Lions and whether it was a trend or just a poor fit with coach Matt Patricia, something Slay has expressed.

Either way, Slay is easily the best CB Philadelphia has had during Schwartz’s tenure and the first that could open up some new tools for the defensive coordinator like traveling with star receivers on a consistent basis or being able to lock down one side of the field while the other is more layered in different looks.

The domino of a true CB1 can mean everyone else begins to excel a little more with a little less on their plates.

In the case of Robey-Coleman, he’s a natural nickel corner the Eagles had an interest in before when he signed with the Los Angeles Rams a few years ago. The Rams had some significant cap issues and had to cut bait on the veteran and Roseman swooped in with a cost-effective, one-year deal.

Again, on paper at least, Robey-Coleman is the best inside CB Schwartz has had in Philadelphia and his presence will enable the Eagles to kick Maddox outside to right corner.

At 5-foot-9, Maddox looks like a slot CB himself and that's why he was projected there, but he excelled outside in college at Pittsburgh and has actually been more effective when forced to play outside during his first two seasons with the Eagles. Roseman made some interesting comps when talking about Maddox in the offseason, most notably former New York Jets star Aaron Glenn.

Maddox will have competition from Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas so there are safety nets on hand, and the presence of Cre’Von LeBlanc inside gives Philadelphia impressive depth there as well.

Finally, while Jalen Mills has been moved to safety his versatility should be a valuable tool for Schwartz, perhaps not Malcolm Jenkins-like but enough to throw some interesting tweaks into specific game plans.

Overall, the CB position has gone from a weakness to a potential strength and that is an accomplishment in one offseason after so many years of struggles to piece things together.

COULDA: Overspent to get Jones, the original goal.

SHOULDA: Added another cost-effective outside corner to really compete with Maddox because it seemed like Schwartz closed the book on Jones last season and Douglas is on the trade market, an indication he’s a lame duck on the final year of his rookie deal.

WOULDA: Went after a proven, veteran CB1 years ago.

John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every Monday and Friday on SIRIUSXM’s Tony Bruno Show with Harry Mayes, and every Tuesday and Thursday with Eytan Shander on SBNation Radio. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen