Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Instant analysis of the Eagles signing CB Steven Nelson
The Eagles’ patience paid off, as Howie Roseman was able to add another talented cornerback to the roster, at a bargain price.
After signing Steven Nelson to a one-year deal, worth $4 million, Philadelphia’s secondary is quietly ascending up the boards.
Here’s a breakdown of Nelson’s arrival and what it means.
PFF ranks the Eagles’ secondary among the worst in NFL
The Eagles will enter training camp will several big names in the secondary, but they’re still missing key components and a cornerback opposite Darius Slay.
Pro Football Focus recently ranked all 32 secondaries in the NFL and Philadelphia landed at No. 25 on the list.
25. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
It’s been two years since Darius Slay played at an elite level. His PFF grade dropped from 90.0 over a five-year stint in Detroit to just 59.5 across the past two years. The Eagles need him to return to that earlier form because their cornerback depth leaves a lot to be desired. Avonte Maddox (37.1 coverage grade in 2020) and fourth-round rookie Zech McPhearson are among the most notable names behind Slay on the depth chart.Bringing in safety Anthony Harris on a one-year, $4 million deal this offseason was good value for the Eagles. Harris finished fifth among all safeties in PFF WAR across the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
Slay could benefit from having some help opposite him at the cornerback position, while Anthony Harris should help elevate the secondary on the backend, while help Philadelphia produce more turnovers.
K’Von Wallace taking the next step could provide huge dividends for Jonathan Gannon and his defense.
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Eagles CB unit lands in the top-25 of a PFF ranking of all 32 NFL teams
The Eagles have one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL with Darius Slay, but the position opposite the veteran is lacking top-notch talent and depth.
Philadelphia drafted Zech McPhearson in the fourth round, while veteran cornerback Avonte Maddox is playing for a new contract and should see time back in the slot. Pro Football Focus just ranked the cornerback units for all 32 NFL teams, and the Eagles landed in the top-25, at No. 25 overall.
25. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
It’s been two years since Darius Slay played at an elite level. His PFF grade dropped from 90.0 over a five-year stint in Detroit to just 59.5 across the past two years. The Eagles need him to return to that earlier form because their cornerback depth leaves a lot to be desired. Avonte Maddox (37.1 coverage grade in 2020) and fourth-round rookie Zech McPhearson are among the most notable names behind Slay on the depth chart.Bringing in safety Anthony Harris on a one-year, $4 million deal this offseason was good value for the Eagles. Harris finished fifth among all safeties in PFF WAR across the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
Only the Seahawks, Jaguars, Jets, Raiders, Lions, Cowboys, and Falcons have cornerback units ranked lower.
Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon says he’s comfortable with the cornerbacks on the roster, while players such as Michael Jacquet, Kevon Seymour, Lavert Hill, Shakial Taylor, and others could see improved results thanks to Philadelphia playing more zone this season.
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Josiah Scott traded to the Philadelphia Eagles for Jameson Houston and a sixth round pick
The Eagles bolstered their secondary Tuesday, trading Jameson Houston and a 6th-round pick to Jacksonville in exchange for cornerback Josiah Scott.
Scott was the Jaguars’ 4th-round pick last year but played in only six games, but he could see significant time with the Eagles, after his three older brothers (Isaiah, Joshua
and Elijah) played at Mount Union — where Nick Sirianni went to college.
Here are three takeaways from the move.
Alex Singleton led Philadelphia Eagles in performance-based pay, earned an extra $464K
The NFLPA sent agents the numbers on performance based pay for this past season. Leading the way: #Buccaneers G Alex Cappa, who started all 16 regular season games. He gets another $622,056 on top of his $750,000 base salary.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) April 6, 2021
Alex Singleton had a breakout season in Philadelphia, and the Eagles leading tackler landed a huge bonus for his efforts.
The NFLPA recently sent agents the numbers on performance-based pay for this past season, and Singleton led all Eagles with an extra $464,296 in compensation.
Nate Herbig ($414K), Greg Ward ($380K), Duke Riley ($365), Matt Pryor ($353K), and Jordan Mailata ($338K) landed the biggest bonuses.
Current Chiefs left tackle Prince Tega Wanogho landed the smallest bonus with $781.
Bucs offensive lineman Alex Cappa led all NFL players with a bonus of $622,056 after playing 99.7% of Tampa’s snaps this season.
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Eagles place Jack Driscoll and Avonte Maddox on Reserve/Injured list
Roster Moves: #Eagles have placed T Jack Driscoll and CB Avonte Maddox on Reserve/Injured. pic.twitter.com/Tmn2rUMy0k
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 18, 2020
The Philadelphia Eagles announced two roster moves on Friday when they placed cornerback Avonte Maddox and Jack Driscoll on injured reserve.
Driscoll’s season was already over an MCL injury suffered in the win over New Orleans, while Maddox is likely done as well with a knee injury that will keep him out three games minimum.
Driscoll had started two previous games this season and got extended playing time in two others when Johnson was hurt.
Driscoll was originally selected by the Eagles in the fourth round (145th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft.
On Monday, the Eagles agreed to sign offensive lineman Ross Pierschbacher from Washington’s practice squad.
Pierschbacher was a fifth-round pick of the Football Team in 2019 out of Alabama, playing in five games as a reserve in his rookie season.
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The Eagles secondary will look very different; here are three things we expect to see in the coming weeks and months with McLeod out.
The Eagles will be without their captain and starting safety Rodney McLeod for the remainder of the season, and likely the beginning of next season, as he recovers from a torn ACL.
The secondary found itself in shambles on Sunday afternoon as McLeod, Darius Slay, and Avonte Maddox were all sidelined with various injuries. With Maddox and McLeod surely missing time and Slay in concussion protocol the team will have some adjustments to make on the backend. Here are three things to expect with the team missing at least two of four starting defensive backs.
Rodney McLeod and Avonte Maddox are out. Darius Slay is un the concussion protocol.
The Arizona Cardinals have had to deal with a number of injuries on defense this season. They will face a team in Week 15 with a series of recent injuries. The Philadelphia Eagles will be down at least two starting defensive backs and perhaps a third.
Starting safety Rodney McLeod will miss the rest of the season. He suffered a torn ACL in the Eagles’ Week 14 win over the New Orleans Saints.
They also know for certain they will be down one of their starting cornerbacks. Avonte Maddox suffered a knee injury against the Saints, exiting the game in the second quarter. Eagles head coach Doug Pederson told the media on Monday Maddox would miss some time and would not play against the Cardinals.
No. 1 cornerback Darius Slay suffered a head injury on Sunday. Pederson said he is currently in the league’s concussion protocol.
If he is unable to play, the Eagles will be down their two top cornerbacks and their top safety.
The Cardinals should be able to do some damage in the passing game.
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Eagles CB Avonte Maddox questionable to return vs. the Saints with a knee injury
The Philadelphia Eagles could be without cornerback Avonte Maddox for the second against the Saints after he was downgraded to questionable after suffering a knee injury.
Injury Update: CB Avonte Maddox (knee) is questionable to return.
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 13, 2020
The Eagles brought up cornerback’s Kevon Seymour and Jameson Houston from the practice squad and both could see action.
Eagles sign CB Michael Jacquet from the practice squad to the active roster
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The Philadelphia Eagles are struggling at the cornerback position and have a couple of open roster spots so the team announced that undrafted rookie cornerback Michael Jacquet has been signed from the practice squad to the active roster.
Roster Moves: #Eagles have signed CB Michael Jacquet from the practice squad to the active roster and signed RB Adrian Killins to the practice squad. pic.twitter.com/Wv7bvm79rE
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) November 17, 2020
A rookie free agent out of Louisiana-Lafayette, Jacquet was called up from the practice squad to the active roster in each of the past two games. In the Week 8 win over Dallas, Jacquet played 30 snaps on defense in his NFL debut.
The Eagles had an opening on the roster at the position after placing cornerback Craig James on Injured Reserve on Monday with a shoulder injury.
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