Has Howie Roseman Fixed Eagles Secondary?

Revisiting the decisions of years past made by the team's general manager when it has come to addressing the defensive backfield

So here we go again.

Howie Roseman is attempting to fix the Eagles’ secondary. In fairness to the Eagles general manager, though, it’s not always about “just” the secondary.

The defensive line has to play its part by generating enough pressure to lessen the amount of time the defensive backs have to cover a target. It’s a two-way street, though, with the DBs having to cover well enough to allow pass rushers an extra second or two to flush or sack a quarterback.

Roseman was asked point-blank on last Thursday’s conference call with reporters why he thinks he got the secondary right this time, with the additions of safety Will Parks, number one cornerback Darius Slay and nickel slot corner Nickell Robey-Coleman.

Also re-signed were Jalen Mills and Rodney McLeod.

Roseman went back in time, to 2011, after the NFL returned from a 132-day lockout that lasted until July 25, 2011.

Teams weren’t allowed to talk to players during that time, and that lack of communication, Roseman said, was an indarence.

Heading into that 2011 post-lockout season, the Eagles threw a lot of money at cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha to pair with Asante Samuel, who was 30-years old and about to play his fourth and final season in Philly.

Andy Reid had personnel authority back then, too, and Reid had also made the decision to turn the reigns of his defense over to longtime offensive line coach Juan Castillo.

It was a curious decision and one that would come back to haunt Reid the following year when had to fire Castillo, replacing him with Todd Bowles.

“Being a young GM, coming out of a lockout, with a new coordinator is a different circumstance than having a coordinator who’s been here since 2016, with a lot of the guys who played in his scheme,” said Roseman, referring to current DC Jim Schwartz. “So you talk about guys like Jalen, or Robey-Coleman, or Slay, and these are guys who have a perspective of what we’re doing.”

Here is what the Eagles’ secondary looked like in the five years after 2011:

2012

Nate Allen spent five years playing safety for the Eagles after being taken in the second round of the 2010 draft / USA Today

CBs: Dominique Rodgers-Cromarite and Asomugha.

Safeties: Nate Allen and Kurt Coleman.

Notes: Castillo was fired halfway through the season and replaced by Bowles … Reid still had personnel authority.

2013

CBs: Bradley Fletcher and Cary Williams.

Safeties: Patrick Chung and Allen.

Notes: The first year for head coach Chip Kelly and DC Bill Davis … DRC and Asomugha were both gone.

2014

CBs: Fletcher and Williams.

Safeties: Malcolm Jenkins was the new addition, joining Allen.

Notes: Chung was gone after only miserable season … Fletcher and Williams were tough to watch.

2015

Former Eagles CB Nolan Carroll / USA Today

CBs: Nolan Carroll and Byron Maxwell.

Safeties: Jenkins and Walter Thurmond.

Notes: Thurmond was on his last legs … Maxwell was the high-priced free agent signing…Kelly had usurped personnel power from Roseman.

2016

Leodis McKelvin spent one year playing CB for the Eagles / USA Today

CBs: Carroll and Leodis McKelvin.

Safeties: Jenkins and Rodney McLeod.

Notes: Doug Pederson’s first year as head coach and Jim Schwartz’s first year as defensive coordinator.

In 2017, the Eagles won a Super Bowl with cornerbacks Jalen Mills, Ronald Darby, who is still a free agent, and Patrick Robinson.

The secondary rebuild since then has failed to hit on key draft picks, Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas in 2017. Avonte Maddox looks like a keeper from the 2018 class and Cre’Von LeBlanc has been a solid addition as a late in-season signing in 2018.

“I’d say going back to 2017 – when you draft guys in the second and third round and you’re now in the fourth year, you obviously want them to contribute,” said Roseman. “If they don’t contribute, then you’re dealing with a situation where you have to go outside the organization.

“Let’s be honest, let’s call a spade a spade. There’s no doubt about it.”

Roseman said the Eagles took a chance on drafting Jones in the second round just six weeks or so after he had torn his Achilles.

“We knew the talent level Sidney had shown in college, and we also knew that he was dealing with an injury, and that we were taking a chance on a guy that had to recover,” said Roseman. “We felt like if we red-shirted him we could get him back to where that was. And we’ve seen flashes of it. But we got to get more consistent with it and I think that Sidney knows that this is a pivotal year for him, pivotal offseason because even last year he was rehabbing from something. That’s big for him.”

Douglas is different. He is on the trade block, according to a source who spoke to SI.com.

The secondary, on paper, looks like it has a chance to be one of the most solid in more than a decade, including the 2017 group – with plenty of help from a relentless crew of pass rushers that season - won a Super Bowl.

“I think we’re off to a different start because of some of the familiarity,” said Roseman about what he has done so far on the back end, “and we put that into play when we were trying to make these moves.”

If the moves can translate from paper to the field, Roseman may have gotten it right this time.