Is Eagles’ restocked secondary the missing piece to returning to Super Bowl contention?

Quinyon Mitchell is one of two highly drafted defensive backs the Eagles are adding to their secondary in an attempt to fix one of their biggest issues last season. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

With OTAs over and training camps still weeks away, plenty of questions are circling the NFL. Charles McDonald is tackling them this summer.

The Philadelphia Eagles underachieved based on the projections that they had for themselves prior to last season. They had a fluky 10-1 record to start before tumbling down the final few games and losing a wild-card matchup against Tampa Bay.

There were several pieces to point fingers at and cast blame on, but one thing had become abundantly clear: The Eagles didn’t quite have the horses they thought they did on the defensive side of the ball. They still have great talent along the defensive line, but their secondary needed an infusion of young talent if they were going to quickly bounce back and resume their role as a title contender in the NFC.

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According to Sports Info Solutions, the Eagles defense ranked 21st in expected points added per pass attempt (-0.01) overall in 2023. Over the final six weeks of the season, when their losing streak started, the Eagles ranked 29th in expected points added per pass attempt (0.12). That’s not a sustainable figure for a team with championship aspirations, and they made an attempt to fix their secondary in the draft.

The Eagles had a potential star fall right into their lap with Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell at the 22nd pick. Mitchell checks off all the boxes a team could want in a cornerback prospect and should be an immediate starter with the potential for long-term dominance. Mitchell’s main competition will likely be Darius Slay, Isaiah Rodgers and James Bradberry for playing time — based on the most recent sample sizes (which includes a year-long gambling suspension for Rodgers), that should be a surmountable bar for him to clear.

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/is-eagles-restocked-secondary-the-missing-piece-to-returning-to-super-bowl-contention-140020885.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-07-02 14:00:20

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