Morgan Burkett
In case you missed it, the Eagles eked out a win on Sunday after a terrible start to week one against the Washington Redskins. Headed into the locker room down 20-7 at halftime, the team finished the game with a statement, putting up 25 unanswered points before a late -- and meaningless -- Washington touchdown. While the whole team looked lethargic and unprepared in the first half, what stuck out most was the struggles in the secondary.
Temporary lapses in coverage, poor tackling and bad angles of pursuit gifted the Redskins two long touchdowns which put the Eagles in a hole early. The coverage tightened in a major way in the second half, but early struggles coupled with the deployment of an unorthodox revolving door of cornerbacks is bound to raise some eyebrows.
Going into the week one clash with a division rival, we were already well aware that the corner position was less-than solidified. Top corner Ronald Darby is still working his way back to 100% after a torn ACL. Head Coach Doug Pederson admitted Darby would be on a snap count. Veteran corner Jalen Mills, sidelined with a lisfranc injury, is still weeks away from seeing the field. Avonte Maddox has earned the slot corner role after a tantalizing rookie season, but his versatility has seen him all over the defensive backfield. In essence, that left open a race for the second corner position that has been neck and neck since the early spring.
That meant that even nearing Sunday afternoon, few had a true idea of what the cornerback rotation would look like. Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz was frank in his pregame interviews, noting this was partially by design:
We are going to play that one close to our vest. No sense -- I don't think we gain any advantage sort of letting Washington know about what our rotation will be, who is playing right, who is playing left, who is playing nickel, who is playing dime . . . I think one thing over the course of last year, I think we've seen everybody is going to have to contribute at some point.
In the end, Schwartz was honest: each of the top four corners saw significant playing time. As expected, Maddox was a fixed feature in the slot, playing 61 of 67 snaps. He left the field with some cramping, but otherwise would have likely played all 67. After Maddox, the waters become less clear.
| Player | Snap Count |
| Avonte Maddox | 61 |
| Rasul Douglas | 56 |
| Ronald Darby | 48 |
| Sidney Jones | 34 |
Darby was given a lot of time on the field despite being on a snap count. It's likely he will see even more snaps as he continues to work towards 100%. Expect him to be the team's entrenched number one. Until he is fully healthy, however, this week may have been an indication of how many snaps he will see in coming weeks.
Rasul Douglas was given the second most run of all corners. After a year of seemingly not getting his deserved opportunities and constantly fighting rumors that he has fallen out of favor with the coaching staff, this was a huge step for the third-year DB. His performance was a mixed bag, but the coaching staff clearly had the confidence to let him duke it out after being burnt for a long touchdown.
Sidney Jones' role on defense will be the most difficult to determine from week to week. When Maddox spent time on the sideline, Jones moved into the slot. Otherwise, he split his time at the right and left outside corner position. While this will make his usage volatile over the span of the season, his moving around the formation didn't exactly catch anyone off-guard. Jim Schwartz has always commended Jones on his versatility, and requires it out of his corners:
He can do both. Pretty much all of our guys in the secondary cross-train somewhere. He played nickel at the beginning of last year; finished at outside corner. Depending on how it all shakes out match-up-wise, injury-wise, everything else, we got confidence in both of those positions.
So, that's how it all shook out for week one. A rotation in the truest sense of the word and, according to the coaching staff, entirely planned. Heeding Doug Pederson's post-game press conference, the cycling will continue for the near future:
It's all part of the plan, early in the season like that, especially with Darby, putting him on, not a pitch count, but a rotating basis. All of those guys were going to play. When you have four corners out there and the three that played corner position, obviously, but yeah, all part of the plan.
Still, not all things are created equal. The Eagles early secondary struggles aren't blameless and simply won't cut it when the team faces more dangerous passing attacks. It's fair to mention that the defensive line failed to get any type of significant push against a very poor Redskins' offensive line. Still, the performance in the secondary did the team no favors. Out of 79 eligible, Avonte Maddox and Rasul Douglas were PFF's 68th and 63rd ranked corners, respectively.
Douglas started the game over Jones, but allowed a perfect passer rating when targeted. He was absolutely torched by rookie Terry McLaurin for a 70-yard touchdown. To be fair, not many players have McLaurin's 4.35 quickness, and long speed has never been Rasul's strength. However, if Douglas continues to be a liability against deep threats, teams will notice and take advantage. After reports that he lost weight in the offseason to improve his speed, that play was not a good look. He also allowed the final touchdown of the game -- however meaningless -- on a fairly simple rub concept in which he completely lost his cover while looking into the backfield. His run support saved his grade to some extent, where he has always been dependable.
Maddox's grade is lower than expected, but he did allow some receptions in the slot. He slipped up on one play when Trey Quinn put the moves on him for a first down. However, there were no glaring mistakes. Overall, he looks better in press-man than off or zone coverage. His lack of length can be problematic when asked to play too far away from the football. His ability to lock down tricky slot receivers is ever important as the position grows in importance.
Continued on the page below.
Ronald Darby was hurdled by a 140-year old Vernon Davis, but had an otherwise solid game. His coverage was sticky and he had a very impressive near interception early in the game. McLaurin made an incredible catch over top of Darby, but the coverage was tight. He will be exciting to watch when he fully regains his health.
All in all, Sidney Jones had an alright day. Despite beginning the game on the sideline, he got more playing time as the game went on. He allowed some catches late in the game in loose off-ball coverage -- which is easily forgiven. The biggest knock was that Terry McLaurin also flew by him on a deep post route, but Case Keenum wasn't able to connect. On film, it's obvious Jones was thinking too much. His feet stopped and he couldn't recover. Some of these mistakes are to be expected as he continues to get used to NFL play speed. After all, that was only his tenth professional game. In his brief time in the slot, Jones fared very well, registering a very important third-down PBU. Growth is the name of the game for Jones. If he can continue to get better week-in week-out, it's only a matter of time before he regains his former first-round pedigree.
It's important to note that Doug Pederson said that Jones' increase in late-game snaps at the expense of Rasul Douglas had nothing to do with performance:
We knew they were all going to play, and really Rasul had been really working at that spot for the majority of the time, and Sidney was going to get some opportunity in this game . . . it was all planned. Everything was planned.
While that may be no more than coach speak from Dougy P, it truly seems as if the coaching staff is prepared to give each corner their opportunity to earn a role. That means, going forward, with just two corners certain to get lengthy playing time -- Darby and Maddox -- the second outside corner spot and dime corner position are still up in the air. Keep in mind the team will eventually welcome back both Jalen Mills and newly extended Cre'Von Leblanc.
Some, if not all of the dime responsibilities will be given to a Malcolm Jenkins. While he wasn't seen much on Sunday, Johnathan Cyprien could also slide into the mix. Still, with so many question marks still hanging in the air, it's fair to question what the secondary will look like from week to week.
With each corner having their fair share of ups and downs, it will likely be a work in progress for at least a few more weeks. Unfortunately for the Eagles, they won't have the fortuity of a favorable schedule for the coming weeks. Three consecutive upcoming games against the Falcons' myriad of talented receivers, Detroit's combo of Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones, and Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams' Packers will be a true test. Facing receivers that will need to be defended as a team, the Philadelphia secondary cannot afford to be fragmented or of two minds. The defensive staff will need to figure out what they are about and quickly.
While it takes a bit of reading between the lines, what the coaches have alluded to the most is having the flexibility to play the match-up game. Through this lens, a corner-by-committee approach makes a lot of sense. There aren't many corners in the league that are as physical as Julio Jones
and can run toe-to-toe with high-end route runners like Davante Adams.
However, Rasul Douglas has shown the ability to shut down bigger, more imposing receivers. At 6'2", he's fantastic in jump ball situations and can be stifling in press coverage. Last season, he ranked 10th against the deep ball according to PFF and forced an incompletion on 6.7% of his deep ball targets. His long arms and fantastic ball skills make him very good at disrupting passes. That's also why he led the team in interceptions last season despite limited starting minutes. This is what happened the last time the Eagles faced off against the Falcons:
Conversely, Sidney Jones has always been known for his incredible change of direction. Against more adept route runners, he will have the edge over Douglas. He's incredibly smooth and a truly athletic player. After a lengthy recovery process from an Achilles injury -- one of , if not the worst injury for defensive backs -- many forget that last year was essentially Jones' rookie season. The mental mistakes still show up on film (i.e. the deep shot to McLaurin in the video above), but so does the coverage ability.
The play below really showcases what each corner brings to the table:
Although we may get more solid answers when Jim Schwartz addresses the media later in the week, it appears as if the corner-by-committee will continue. Against teams that rely on speed, or complex routes look for Sidney Jones to get the nod. Rasul will likely edge Jones on snaps against larger, more physical receivers. Having veteran help at safety will facilitate the Eagles' versatility in the secondary. It allows Jim Schwartz some room for creativity while keeping his pass rush simple, and therefore fast. Although there will be growing pains, this really is an ideal situation for what the Eagles like to do on defense. As Douglas and Jones continue to grow, Rodney McLeod and Darby return to full strength and the team welcomes back Mills and Leblanc, this will be a cornerback rotation to be reckoned with.
