Depth is deceiving
Now onto everyone’s favorite rookie from 2018. If the Eagles move Maddox to Safety to learn behind Sendejo and McLeod (which certainly seems logical given the need at Safety and Undlin’s development record), that leaves five on the roster. Darby has missed 15 games in 2 years and Mills suffered a season-ending injury last season. If Rasul Douglas, the most likely to be traded, does find himself out of Philadelphia, an immediate need for depth arises.
This wouldn’t be the first time that the Eagles have moved a promising young DB toward the last line of defense either.
I’d like to remind you of a man named Jaylen Watkins. The now L.A. Charger survived the Chip Kelly roster purge and made it onto the Jim Schwartz Defense…but it was out of the pan and into the fire, or so it seemed. With eleven defensive backs on the roster, the Eagles cornerback corps was filled to the brim with a mix of talented young corners, all possessing different skill sets, trying to break onto the roster.
Watkins was quiet. Below the radar. Jalen Mills was the man stealing the show as Watkins’ grip on a roster spot started to slip..that was until, they moved him to Safety. The position was still heavily contested, Jenkins and McLeod had secured the starting roles long before Camp and Chris Maragos has a presence on special teams unheard of elsewhere..so that left Watkins, Ed Reynolds and sixth round pick Blake Countess.
But then, something clicked. Without having to be so prominent in run Defense or switch playing styles depending on the situation, Watkins found his balance and began to walk the roster cut tightrope. Interceptions, pass deflections, and big hits filled the final practices of Training camp before an explosive preseason earned him that valuable third-safety spot. Watkins, as we all know, then went on to become a key cog in the team’s iconic Super Bowl run.
Sendejo and McLeod make up the back-end right now, while Malcolm Jenkins will continue to clean up underneath. But this is the perfect situation for the Eagles to take a very raw talent in Maddox, who despite never playing Safety, was astounding when thrown into the deep end during the regular season, and help nurture his skillset so that when Sendejo moves on, Maddox is ready to step up to the plate as a key part of the defense.
