Who Makes The Cut: Safety
The Eagles will encounter tough decisions when determining their 53-man roster. During the next two weeks, The Inquirer's Eagles beat writers will try our best to predict who stays and who goes. The NFL deadline for teams to trim rosters from 90 to 80 is Aug. 27. Final cuts are due by Aug. 31. Here’s the lineup:
Who Makes The Cut: Safety
Jeff McLane, Inquirer Staff Writer
The Eagles will encounter tough decisions when determining their 53-man roster. During the next two weeks, The Inquirer's Eagles beat writers will try our best to predict who stays and who goes. The NFL deadline for teams to trim rosters from 90 to 80 is Aug. 27. Final cuts are due by Aug. 31. Here’s the lineup:
Wed, Aug. 15: Offensive line
Thur., Aug. 16: Defensive tackles
Fri., Aug. 17: Cornerbacks
Mon., Aug. 20: Running backs
Tues., Aug. 21: Wide receivers / tight ends
Wed., Aug. 22: Linebackers
Thur., Aug. 23: Safeties
Fri., Aug. 24: Quarterbacks / Specialists
Mon., Aug. 27: Defensive ends
LIKELY TO KEEP: 4.
WHO STAYS: Nate Allen, Oshiomogho Atogwe, Kurt Coleman, Jaiquawn Jarrett.
WHO GOES: Wade Bonner, Tom Nelson, Phillip Thomas.
PUP: Colt Anderson.
Before I get to Jarrett – the big question mark at this position – let’s take a quick gander at the starters. Allen and Coleman are entering their third seasons, and while neither has established himself as a consistent playmaker in the NFL, both are locks at this point to open the season with the first team defense. That tells you a little about the depth the Eagles have at safety and why Jarrett may actually make the 53-man roster -- believe it or not.
The Eagles signed Atogwe in June after Jarrett showed very little during OTAs to suggest that he had made some quantum leap after an unproductive rookie season. A veteran of seven seasons in the NFL, Atogwe was about as good as Howie Roseman could get at the time, but there were a few opportunities to acquire greater talent when free agency opened three months earlier. The Eagles had significant issues on defense at two positions – linebacker and safety. They made a strong effort to upgrade at linebacker in the offseason, trading for DeMeco Ryans and drafting Mychal Kendricks in the second round. Roseman and Andy Reid did virtually nothing at safety and simply responded to queries with a “We like our young safeties” response.
Allen was inconsistent last year, but his knee wasn’t 100 percent recovered for most of the season. He has no excuses this season. He’s healthy. He’s a second-round pick. He needs to play at a high level. Coleman was benched at one point because of tackling issues, but Jarrad Page was so bad that Coleman got another shot. He’s a heady player, but a liability if he has to go one-on-one with a receiver.
Jarrett, if it’s possible, has looked worse this preseason than last. I don’t think he’ll ever start in the NFL, which would qualify as a major disappointment for a second-round pick. It’s not his fault the Eagles took him so high, but that’s the breaks. If the Eagles had a better alternative or if Colt Anderson (torn ACL) was healthy by the start of the season, I don’t think Jarrett would make the roster. But Anderson looks destined to open the season on the Physically Unable to Perform List and the other options aren’t that great. Atogwe has been injured much of the preseason. He missed several games last season due to injury. I’m not sure how well he’s playing at this point. But he appears to have a spot on the roster as the third safety, apparently based mostly on his experience. Nelson was splitting second-team reps with Jarrett a week ago, but he injured his ankle and probably won’t play Friday at Cleveland.
So that leaves Jarrett on the 53-man roster – at least for the time being. I could easily see the Eagles scouring the waiver wire after cut-down day, or Roseman pulling off a trade to upgrade at the position. But until then Jarrett stays.
Comments (58)
Trade a D lineman for a safety. Trade depth to solve a weakness.— tpizza- This isn't hockey, baseball or basketball. No one is going to give up a starting quality safety for a lineman at the end of preseason. It just doesn't happen in the NFL. The Eagles could trade one of their D linemen for a pick next year, but no player worth having will be relinquished by another team at this point in the season, no matter what the Eagles offer in trade.
- Correct. At this point in the game, if the Birds are not confident with what they've got there, the best course of action would be to pluck someone off waivers/or off the practice squad to gt them acclimated to the system by October...Trades can happen if a team suffers an injury at a key position,thus curtailing depth. — bearsfriend
- ARrogant the land mass, to S.D. for beached whale; same athleticism, twice the smarts.— mccloudmj
- Yep, tpizza has the obvious answer. Tapp for a safety?— armchairGM
- Heck, you can throw in Jarrett, Hanson, Gilyard, Dixon, anyone else who might be on the bubble to make this team and throw in a late round pick, but most teams aren't going to trade someone at this point for a guy they think they'll be able to pick up on cut day. Meaning, if you're offering them in a trade, then you're probably going to cut them anyway. — BeFrank
- tpizzhispants is a bigot and a racist.— sewell guy
- pizzahispants is a racist pig— sewell guy
- Oh that's right, kindergarten is out. — tpizza
- Seems to me that there could be a serious chance to make a trade here. We have some great depth at DL. I would trade just about anybody on the line for the best safety tat we can get. There is a lot of depth so even giving up one of our better ends wouldn't hurt if it got us a starting caliber safety. Trades are rare but in this case could happen in the next 10 days.— @cip23
- armchair, same player, same thought.— tpizza
- What would Babin get in a trade? We have depth. and that will clear his contract to resign Maclin next year.— dmanphilly
- I suggested that to Ray Didinger the before Draft (pre-Vinny Curry), as I liked the fact that Graham would come back with a chip on his shoulder...along with the promise Hunt showed in limited action last year...He found it intriguing, figuring his value would be so high after his immense sack total (TY Wide 9), and a medium range salary...Obviously, he'd have to be healthy. What's the rush with Maclin? — bearsfriend
- In theory, with the Eagles' stud defensive line, two shutdown corners and improved linebacking corps, any two warm bodies should be able to do reasonably well at safety. In reality, at least in the first two pre-season games, it looked like the team will have the same problems as last year on defense. I know it's just preseason and the games are meaningless, but I have a sinking feeling that Juan Castillo could have turned the 1985 Bears defense into an 8-8 squad.— jsb235
- You could also trade Avant, his contract price goes way up next year. Move Hall to slot, he's caught everything in camp.— kelly11
- They wouldn't have this problem if they had done the smart thing and drafted Earl Thomas instead of Brandon Graham.
- you gotta get over this, man.
Eagles have never seen a lineman they didn't prefer to draft.
It's actually a sound philosophy when you consider that you have to build the lines first.
They could have had JPP, Earl Thomas...
Let it go. - They should be hammered on this every single time there's a discussion about the terrible play by the safeties on this team. They knew there was a hole with the loss of Dawkins. They moved up and were in perfect position to draft his replacement, but instead went with another "high motor" guy. Guess what? Earl Thomas is an All-Pro. Brandon Graham stinks, but we get to hear about his injury as an excuse. Nate Allen is probably the worst starter on the entire team.
- Waiver Wire it is if this is the best we have...These Idiots couldn't Catch a Cold!— citysims
-TongueWagger, there is no rule saying you can't trade defensive players in the preseason, it's happened in the middle of the regular season. In fact I'm with tpizza on this one, but you have to consider it really depends on finding a good match with a team that needs a DE and has a surplus of talent at the safety position. On top of that the salary slots don't match up, D Lineman make a lot more $ and even though Tapp is a backup I'm pretty sure he's making close to 4.5m annual and there's not many safeties making that, much less playing for teams that have a lot of depth at that position and need a player like Tapp or Graham (yes I said it). At his salary, Graham may actually be the more likely player to get traded for a safety.- I never said there was a rule against it, Judge. I said it wouldn't happen. People think that you can trade your star lineman like Babin for a starting safety. No way. Not because of the rules but because of reality. It just doesn't happen. No playmaker is going to be traded to the Eagles this year. Period. Get over it. We're stuck with lousy safeties this year.
- Well we can agree, a trade normally seems unlikely and I don't see them trading Babin, not a chance. But they are going to have to trade or cut a good defensive lineman at some point before the season because they simply can't keep all of them. Hunt, Tapp, Graham, Curry and they want to play Cox at DE some snaps. Tapp, Hunt and Graham are the likeliest candidates. All 3 of them look great and none of them are practice squad eligible. I'd like to see them trade one before they cut and get nothing. I'll bet you one of them is traded by the start of the season and they will keep the guy that will cost the least.
- TW, perhaps there is a team out there deep at S but lacking in DL? Just the opposite of what the Eagles have? Not saying there is, just postulating.— tpizza
- Judge, guess I could have saved some typing. And you said it better than I.— tpizza
- Problem is, other teams know the Eagles will end up cutting a pretty decent DL, which at that point they can get him without giving up a player or draft pick. Only way the Eagles can trade a DL for a safety is if some team is absolutely in love with one of our backup DL and doesn't want to risk them signing somewhere else when the Eagles cut him.
There really wasn't anything out there this year in FA or the draft that was worth taking, IIRC. Of course, if the Eagles had drafted Earl Thomas like everyone thought they were going to do when they traded up for Graham, we wouldn't still be talking about this.— Only in Philly... - None of them are top flight safeties, so "anything" would be an improvement...and since we have little value to trade, why not teach them to tackle.......Here they may be starters but on any other above average team they are backups at best.....— nuggett
- On any other nfl team these guys are special teamers at best. Coleman is the gunner on the kickoff and the rest should be doing their life's work outside the NFL. — coloradoeagle
- Okay, Coleman has gotten beat a few times. Asomugha got beat a few times last season, too. Coleman is a hitter, and has had games where he did some ball hawking, too. He is just as young as Allen, and was a 7th, not a 2nd rounder so of course there is a learning curve. I would not keep Jarrett. I would move Clayton to safety and play him in goal line, short yardage and against sets that have 3 tight ends.— Paul SoTX
- The salaries would be tough to match up....but a DL for safety would be the way to go.
How bout sending Demetress Bell to Jets for Safety help?
(not a big fan of Landry or Yeremiah)
— Roger Predactor - Can we get past the Earl Thomas for Brandon Graham Draft?Maybe? (HTML deleted)
-
- Uhh do half of you remember what happened to the "Dream Team". We acquired a lot of new defensive talent, with no training camp...need I say more?? Yes teams trade in the preseason (Fokou and Lloyd trade), but rarely do teams swap good players (Fokou and Lloyd were back ups taken in the 7th round). Teams tend to trade "depth guys" to one another, but its rare you find a good match because guys have to fit into new systems. This is generally why 1 team compensates with draft picks bc the other team would rather find guys that fit their system later on. Idk what half of you wanted Reid or Roseman to get, this just supports my theory that half of the Eagles fan base is clueless.— kdawg
- I actually read more of the comments on this article, so where ever I say "half of you" or "half the Eagles fan base" change that half to 75%. 3/4's of you are hopeless.— kdawg
- THEY ARE NOT TRADING FOR A SAFETY! Maybe one gets cut for cap reasons during camp, but buckle up, this is what we got for this season. Allen and Coleman should improve with the upgrades in talent that's in front of them. Additionally, they have corners who should be where they need to be on every play. All the more reason why Jarrett should never see a meaningful snap this season.— beegal99
- Keeping Jarrett (who Stinks) is just a way of padding Reid's drafting stats. He does this regardless of how bad the player is and has quite a history keeping duds on the team and letting go of better players. IE: Laws over Landri last year! Lucky for them, they got landri back!— cooperhawk
- He blows...Why did they draft him...?Juan cant be much help..Get rid of both of them ASAP...— Gregory1
- I know all the experts on the board say there is no chance of them making a trade blah blah but it does happen every now and then. I also agree that for one of the guys who would otherwise get cut, is not getting you more than a late round pick because the other team knows he is getting cut. That's why you try and trade one of your starters like Babin since you have the depth to not lose much with the replacement. Now the team that is getting him might actually be willing to give you their starting Safety if they have similar depth at that position. That's the only time a trade in the NFL can work.— @cip23
- kdawg were you this insecure and angry from birth, or is it a recent development?
While a trade may be unlikely, It's a virtual certainty that Roseman has been scouring other rosters looking for help at safety - forget learning a new system, the Eagles would settle for someone with decent instincts at this point.
Besides depth at d-line, birds also have excess talent at running back (albeit raw) - maybe someone like the Detroit Lions might be interested..? (No idea what they have by way of help at safety)— Mr. Magee - i must say jarrett has disappointed.. as a temple student i saw him make plays all over the field. you could argue it was a lack of competition but he did look far superior out there on the field then. a superior tackler. from what i saw in the pittsburgh game, he was atleast a step slow on every chance he had to make a play. maybe hes afraid to make a play? i think with time, he will settle in fine. but the eagles dont have very much time to waste waiting around.— Noah11
- It;s true that drafting earl thomas would have been better but in todays NFL (passing and more passing) teams spread the offense and it's less and less 2 safetys but 1 safety and 3 db's. Safetys are going the way of the fullback and stove top popcorn— sammydelphia
- Will Jarrett make the team? Of course he will. The Eagles have no options because they didn't do anything to fill this glaring hole, like acquire a legitimate NFL -starting- safety.
"Neither [Allen or Coleman] has established himself as a consistent playmaker in the NFL."
Neither has established himself as a legitimate safety in the NFL. The Eagles don't have an established safety on the roster. A playmaker would be a luxury at this point.
"That tells you a little about the depth the Eagles have at safety and why Jarrett may actually make the 53-man roster -- believe it or not."
You think? It's been this way since last season ended, not that anyone has written about it, and the entire league will exploit it again this season.— PhillyExpat 
I think its too soon to just cut a 2nd round pick, I dont care how bad they look. The guy has some ability and deserves a 2nd season to show it. He is slow so he needs to be mentally perfect to make up for that, and a rookie wont be able to do that for a few years. Its a mistake if they release Jaqwainn too soon, its not like they are competing for anything this year. Whole organization is a joke. OJ OTOGWE, 2ND BEST SIGNING OF THE OFFSEASON.- I think we have the answer already in town to help at safety- Keenan Clayton. He's athletic and played safety in college. Also he'd be a hybrid type safety/ linebacker— truephillyfan326
- Biggest weakness of our team for sure. Oh... since the day Dawkins left by the way.— blueye7
- I would rather have a waiver wire safety than Jarrett. At least there is the possibility that he may be able to play. I already know what I have with Jarrett. I don't think that the Eagles will part with Jarrett this year though. That would really be admitting to a mistake.— Bobphxville
- --Not exactly sure why folks are harping on Jarrett and Allen? The Pats have drafted seven (7), DBs in three seasons (cut a 2nd rounder) and they were still ranked 30th in the league - and they still made it to the Super Bowl. From what I saw the Allen was quick to the ball on the run, and I didn't see any deep balls being completed to any of the post 6'5'' TEs that NE has on roster.
Yes they over-ran some plays - so did the Pats if you were looking! It's preseason and these types of mistakes are often a byproduct of playing overaggressively because you want to make the team! From where I was seated, it seemed like the Patriots 2012 cheerleading draft class was "way above average!" Just sayin'!
— Laughingaloud123 - L123, you sly dog you...— tpizza
- Yes, and Amen to Earl Thomas. But another what if, what if they took a safety in the third round instead of Vinny Curry and an already overcrowded DL. Sadly, and stupidly, Reid and Co. were "satisfied" with what they had at safety. I wonder if they are satisfied now that their camp dreams are turning into nightmares?— Robman
- cg, shouldn't you be studying for your doctoral dissertation...professor...or should I just call you Sigmund?
— tpizza - L123, you are correct about the Pats. They had a 1st round safety named Brandon Meriweather that a lot of mocks had going to the Eagles. He's been bouncing around more than cg25 in a rubber room since the Pat's cut him. May be on the Skins now but it just shows all teams hit and all teams whiff on occasion. BTW, all NFL teams have weaknesses. The prob is that the Eagle fans can only see the warts on their own team...they all have them. Giants secondary and LBs are questionable at best. Their fanbase, among whom I have to live, squeel about it all the time. And that flawed team did what last year?
— tpizza - We should trade Jarrett and Juan Castillo for a backup Punter.— killamagilla
- Jarrett can't read books, how is he going to read offenses? Dah...
— BirdinParadise - tpizza....CG25 turned off CAPS LOCK for a while and stopped yelling....I guess miracles DO happen!!— philly449
- There has to be teams who will have to cut a safety from there final roster that is better then our top four. The Eagles better closely be watching for teams that have extra safety talent.— OverFiftyYears
- WE ALL knew they had s safety problem. So where were the signings??? Where was the draft pick??? Sadly Reid values safetys like he does LBs. And it will be the undoing of this defense since Juan has no say or obviously no input. Reid without JJ has been a disaster. Reid will never win a Super Bowl. Too hard headed and too stoopid.— greenflyer
- has anyone been watching the exibition games on the NFL? you can't stop these offenses, every team is missing tackles and getting beat on pass plays— dwilly
- now I know why the country is in trouble— dwilly
- Philip Thomas was making plays against Cleveland whereas Jarrett seemed never to be found near the ball. Jarrett hasn't shown anything yet but Thomas can diagnose and react. Thomas did fall on his face in the end zone for a TD but that still looked better than Jarrett.— HeelYes
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Birds' Eye View is the Inquirer's blog covering all things Philadelphia Eagles and the NFL.
Jeff McLane
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