On the same day that the Eagles are saying goodbye to Malcolm Jenkins, the team are welcoming back Malcolm Jenkins. It’s a 2-year deal worth $12M for the veteran Safety which is a brilliantly affordable deal for a team who have been seeking value at every turn this offseason.
In fact, with the Eagles bringing back Jalen Mills on a one-year deal, that combined price is roughly what the team would have had to pay Malcolm Jenkins if he stayed. Getting two players for the price of one is usually a good sign.
McLeod first signed with the Eagles in 2016 and has become the prototypical Schwartz single-high safety, starting 33 games and rallying to 5 INT, 16 PD, 3 FF, and 92 total tackles. An injury in 2018 forced a contractual restructure, negating his big-time extension following the Super Bowl season. He gets a slight bump with this new deal and will continue to bring stability over the top for this Eagles defense.
It remains to be seen whether or not the Eagles will bring in another Safety alongside the return of Jalen Mills and Rodney McLeod, but the Eagles played a financially smart game here and one that at least buys them some leverage.
Losing McLeod would have been a huge blow, especially on top of the loss of Malcolm Jenkins. McLeod’s slightly enhanced in-the-box role last year may well have played a factor and given the Eagles the confidence to move him down and push Mills up top. It’s an idea to entertain, but we’re still at the very beginning of the offseason and a lot can still change.
For now, the Eagles answer their own questions…to some extent.
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
