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Ralph Vacchiano
NFC East Reporter
When the Philadelphia Eagles made their Super Bowl run two years ago, their defense featured one of the best and toughest secondaries in the NFL. Then last year, their entire secondary seemed to fall apart.
That’s why one of their top offseason priorities was to rebuild that secondary to what it once was. And it’s why they might be preparing to take a cornerback in the first round of the NFL Draft for the first time in 22 years.
With less than two weeks to go until the draft, that’s shaping as a strong possibility for the Eagles, who have the 22nd overall pick. The cornerback class is generally considered to be very strong, with perhaps as many as six potentially being selected in the first round.
[Rob Rang: 2024 NFL Draft CB rankings: 5 first-round grades among top 10 prospects]
The Eagles certainly could use one after what happened to their cornerback corps last year. Veteran Darius Slay, who just turned 33, missed the final four games of the season with a knee injury and struggled when he returned for the playoff game. James Bradberry, who’ll be 31 in August, had an awful season, regressing badly after being named a second-team All-Pro the year before.
And while the Eagles have some promising young corners, like Kelee Ringo, Eli Ricks and Josh Jobe, none of them showed they were ready for a full-time role. Neither is Avonte Maddox, who was cut by the Eagles and then re-signed, given that injuries have limited him to 13 games over the past two years.
The lack of a cornerback ready to start could be a major issue for the Eagles. Given Slay’s age, they have to consider that they’ll likely need to replace him soon. They also need someone ready to go if Bradberry shows early that his struggles last season weren’t a fluke.
“I think it’s obvious to everyone, including JB, that JB didn’t have the year that he was expecting and that we were expecting,” Eagles GM Howie Roseman said at the…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/2024-nfl-draft-will-eagles-take-a-cb-in-first-round-for-first-time-since-2002
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Publish date : 2024-04-12 13:42:33
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