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Eagles re-sign Nolan Carroll to one-year deal

The Eagles re-signed Nolan Carroll to a one-year contract on Tuesday that will keep the veteran cornerback in Philadelphia for the third season.

Carroll, 29, agreed to a deal that will pay him $2.36 million in 2016, according to a league source. He signed after starting 11 games last season, missing the final month of the season because of a broken fibula. He finished with 57 tackles, two interceptions, and one touchdown in those starts.

The Eagles needed help at cornerback, and Carroll could have a chance to reclaim his starting spot once he's healthy. After trading Byron Maxwell to Miami last week, the Eagles have an opening at the position. They return 2015 second-round pick Eric Rowe, who replaced Carroll in the starting lineup after the injury. They also signed veteran cornerbacks Leodis McKelvin and Ron Brooks from the Buffalo Bills last week.

As it stands now, Rowe, Carroll, and McKelvin would be the top options for the Eagles' base defense. The Eagles also have JaCorey Shepherd, Jaylen Watkins, Randall Evans, Denzel Rice, and Aaron Grymes at the position, but they are unproven options.

"You can never have enough corners," executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman said last week. "[Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz] talks about corners all the time. If there was an opportunity to add a player  ...  we'll look at it. But we also sit here with nine picks, so we have to be able to be in position to get some guys in the draft and let them grow and develop."

The Eagles don't have top players at the position, but they were able to replace Maxwell with more options at a lower cost. Carroll, McKelvin, and Brooks have a combined salary cap hit $6.16 million this season. Maxwell would have cost the Eagles $9.7 million against the salary cap if he were on the team this season.

Carroll earned a starting job last summer after impressing the coaching staff throughout the offseason. He first signed with the Eagles in 2014, when he was mostly a special-teams player and dime cornerback. Carroll began his career in Miami, where he started 26 games in four seasons.