Three things to expect with Rodney McLeod sidelined with an ACL tear

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 team will have to address the position in the offseason

The Eagles secondary is subpar; that’s putting it gently.

McLeod’s a fine player. Mills is OK, though he draws a ton of ire from fans.

Darius Slay is doing the best he can. Most of the season he played a good brand of football, but back-to-back poor performances against DK Metcalf and Davante Adams loom large overhead. While they’re two of the top receivers in the game you expect more from your 50 million dollar cornerback.

Aside from that, the team has a ton of question marks. Like how will McLeod recover from another torn ACL? What is Avonte Maddox’s ceiling and is he anything other than a depth guy? How will Marcus Epps and K’Von Wallace grow? Mills, Nickell Robey-Coleman, and Cre’Von LeBlanc are all on expiring contracts, too.

I’d assume Robey-Coleman is out, LeBlanc could test free agency but I could see him returning on another one-year veteran’s minimum deal. Mills is interesting; I think so long as he isn’t the focal point of defense, think a shutdown corner or Pro Bowl safety, he is fine. You could do worse than a Jalen Mills and you sure can do better. For the right price, I’d bring him back as the versatile guy who can spot start at cornerback and play safety. For a team with cap issues, he could be a luxury the team cannot afford and I understand that.

Regardless, for what seems like the 20th year in a row the team needs to address the secondary in both free agency and the NFL draft. If the team uses two of their first three picks on a cornerback and safety it will be justified.