Examining the NFC East: Cornerbacks

Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon will be expected to scheme up the Eagles' CBs

PHILADELPHIA - Our annual series examining the NFC East from a positional perspective with the help of league personnel sources will begin at cornerback, arguably the biggest weakness for the Eagles, at least on paper.

Outside of Darius Slay and to a lesser extent Avonte Maddox there is no real certainty as to how defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon and secondary coach Dennard Wilson will line up on Sept. 12 in Atlanta.

In fact, there is almost a default assumption that Philadelphia will be adding to the position at some point before Week 1, something GM Howie Roseman has intimated.

"I know in 2017 that we needed a corner too,” Roseman explained. “And we got to August and we had a preseason game in Green Bay, Wisconsin and we made a trade with the Buffalo Bills and got a corner [Ronald Darby] that helped us win a Super Bowl.”

For what it's worth, the Eagles wrapped up OTAs with Slay and Maddox lining up outside in 4-3 looks and then Maddox sliding inside to the slot with second-year project Mike Jacquet playing opposite Slay in what will be a 4-2-5 base defense.

There is no harm in seeing where Jacquet and rookie fourth-round pick Zech McPhearson were during spring work, but expecting either to hit the ground running in a division that features Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, Kenny Golliday, and Terry McLaurin just to start at WR is probably asking a little too much.

"I would be concerned," a former AFC personnel executive told SI.com's Eagle Maven. "It's a passing league and I think they've gotten caught up on the offensive side [DeVonta Smith, Jalen Reagor] and forgotten that works both ways."

That might be a little unfair because if things had fallen differently, Smith's former teammate at Alabama, cornerback Patrick Surtain, might be in Philadelphia.

No. 4 - Philadelphia Eagles: Unless the Eagles go outside the organization for a Steven Nelson type, it starts with two things: Maddox has to play better no matter where he lines up and someone else needs to step up, be it McPhearson, Jacquet, or a lottery ticket from the grouping of Craig James, Nate Meadors, Shakial Taylor, Kevon Seymour, Lavert Hill or recent trade pickup Josiah Scott.

Rookie New York Jets coach Robert Saleh is going through some CB issues of his own and seemed to be echoing the same sentiment Philadelphis is currently operating under.

“I’ve said it before, I think, the difference between player A and player Z in the entire league - I’m not talking about superstars, I’m not talking about the Aaron Donald’s of the world, they’re unique - but, the difference between player A and player Z is minimal," Saleh said. "The only thing that keeps player Z from becoming player A is an opportunity and reps."

From that perspective, maybe the only thing separating Nelson from a Jacquet or McPhearson is an opportunity and perhaps the Eagles' real plan at CB is the highly-regarded Gannon, whose expertise is the cornerback position.

READ MORE: Philadelphia Eagles CB Zech McPhearson could be answer to ...

"JG has been really good at scheming guys up," the ex-AFC personnel exec said. "That's why he's there and that's why he's on the fast track in this league."

Early in the season at least Slay might get a bit bored, however.

"I don't think Slay is the player he was at his height in Detroit but why even throw his way?" an NFC scout mused.

No. 3 - Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys will lean on 2020 second-round pick Trevon Diggs, the brother of Buffalo star WR Stefon Diggs, and slot CB Jourdan Lewis with 2021 second-round pick Kelvin Joseph expected to press for playing time early as well vs. the pedestrian Anthony Brown.

Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs celebrates an INT against the Eagles in 20202 / USA Today

After struggling so much stopping the pass last season, Dallas carpet-bombed the position by drafting Nashon Wright as well.

Like the Eagles, the real plan in North Texas might be Dan Quinn's Cover-3 heavy scheme which should make it a little easier for the young players to hit the ground running in at least a competent fashion.

"I think they'll have enough outside but the slot play really has to improve," a former AFC scout said.

No. 2 - Washington Football Team: The WFT added the talented William Jackson to Kendall Fuller and slot CB Jimmy Moreland. That's a solid group on paper with the underrated Jackson being the lynchpin.

A former first-round pick, Jackson was graded as the 20th best coverage CB in the NFL last season by ProFootballFocus.com despite toiling in Cincinnati where few noticed his impact on the game.

"They had to pay but you could do a lot worse than Jackson at CB," an ex-AFC personnel executive said. "I think he's the second-best [CB] in the division [behind New York's James Bradberry]."

No. 1 - New York Giants: James Bradberry was one of the best CBs in the entire NFL last season and the Giants were able to add to a perceived strength by overpaying for a solid complement in speedy former Tennessee first-round pick Adoree Jackson, a player that the Eagles had an interest in until they were priced out of the market.

Add in an emerging slot CB in Darnay Holmes who will be pushed by third-round pick Aaron Robinson and NYG defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has more ammunition at the position than anyone else in the division.

"Bradberry is what you want in an outside guy. He's long and physical with solid ball skills," an NFC scout said.

John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on both PhillyVoice.com and YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.