This off-season has been a bumpy ride for all Philadelphia Eagles Units, but perhaps none more so than the role of Safety. With Nate Allen’s early departure, the Eagles had to replace him but not only that, upgrade him. Now I know what you’re thinking, a second draft pick and the signing of Thurmond should do the job, but the problem is..they have both converted from Cornerbacks..or from Safety to a Cornerback. So the question is, was this yet another genius Chip Kelly move, or a scramble?
Rumour had it that early in the Off-Season, the Eagles did actually attempt to splash some cash on a Safety, chasing Devin McCourty from the New England Patriots with a big money contract. However, Devin decided to stay with the Patriots, stunting the Eagles bid for an out and out safety.
So with McCourty off the cards, you’d thing that the Eagles would look deep into Free Agency options..but they didn’t, nor did they draft a safety in any of the seven rounds in this years draft.
Walter Thurmond was brought in shortly after Byron Maxwell and is by far the favourite to fill the vacant spot. But being a converted cornerback, could well have its drawbacks. It has definitely benefitted his game, there is no question about it and there is certainly no doubting his ability.
But when your two leading safeties are converted corners whilst the others on the roster don’t exactly have any credible achievements or reputations, you have to wonder if it’s the right call.
Maybe Chip knew something we didn’t…we seem to use that phrase a lot it just remains to see if it will come to fruition. Perhaps Thurmond, playing with Maxwell who is another former Seahawk will explode this season and we can form our own Legion of Boom..the No Fly Zone could become No Fly Field if Eric Rowe proves why nobody should have slept on him too. It just seems a bit strange how the position wasn’t specifically addressed. Eric Rowe played safety for three years at college, but has been working as a cornerback.
A dedicated safety in the draft would have benefitted the team, even if they didn’t start it’s more of an insurance policy. Should Rowe or Thurmond fall injured, you have a talented young rookie who knows the ins and outs of the position. We may be wrong, this may turn out to be one of the best decisions Chip Kelly has made, but it could also backfire. What do you guys think? Tweet us @PhiladelphiaSN or let us know in the comments below!
