There’s a long way to go before final roster cuts are announced, but a trio of Eagles corners aren’t doing themselves any favors.
In every city where professional football is played and in every NFL locker room, there exists an interesting dichotomy. The Philadelphia Eagles and each of the other 31 franchises are experiencing the same thing. 90 men are working together and, at the same time, competing versus one another.
That 90-man roster will be carried throughout the preseason. Then, once three exhibition games are played, that unit will need to be trimmed to a 53-man regular-season roster and a 16-man practice squad – or 17 men in Philly’s case. Laekin Vakalahi earns a special roster exemption for being part of the international pathways program.
The competition will be intense. One battle we’ll be watching features the cornerbacks. There are 13 who are listed on the current roster and two players are mentioned as defensive backs (Cooper DeJean and Parry Nickerson).
The expectation is Philly will carry six corners into the regular season. Here are three who may be falling out of favor and/or heading in the wrong direction.
Eli Ricks
Eli Ricks turned heads last season as an undrafted rookie free agent that some believed could be drafted. His star burned brighter once he picked off a pass in a preseason game versus the Baltimore Ravens and returned it for six points.
Fast forward to the present and a guy who made the 53-man roster feels like he’s a longshot to make the roster this time. Plus, he’s being burned at practices by tryout players (Griffin Hebert).
Philly kept seven corners on last year’s roster. That seems unlikely this time around. Josh Jobe was the sixth corner on the depth chart. Ricks was the seventh, but Jobe is better on special teams.
Zech McPhearson
This time last season, we thought Zech McPhearson would be expected to be Philly’s backup slot corner. An August injury halted his season before it began. This past April, the Birds drafted Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. Come to think of it… Was Zech even at spring practices?
It’s possible he isn’t ready to go after suffering his Achilles tear less than a year ago. That alone is an issue.
He needs every rep he can earn to make an impression. He’s falling behind other guys by being absent, namely Avonte Maddox, Kelee Ringo, Isaiah Rodgers, and the rookies.
James Bradberry
Mentioning James Bradberry in an unfavorable light seems like overkill at this point. Sure, we like the guy, but we also like our close friends. That doesn’t mean they should be on Philly’s roster.
Maybe that’s a bad comparison. Bradberry is a proven NFL veteran, and our friends aren’t. You get the idea though. Our fondness for a good guy has nothing to do with our evaluation. This team has a roster to put together.
There’s regression, and then, there’s the equivalent of falling off a cliff. Bradberry did the latter last season. We thought he’d be a post-June 1st cut candidate. Somehow. he has stuck around, but no one would blink if the Birds move on.
Kelee Ringo has looked great this spring. So has Isaiah Rodgers. They’re also less expensive options.
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