Eagles starting from scratch again at cornerback | Jeff McLane
They might be willing to take their lumps at the position if it means Rasul Douglas and Sidney Jones are the starters in 2018.
When the Eagles open the season in September, they will have at least one new starting cornerback for the eighth time in the last nine seasons. It will be the third time in the last five years they have a completely new set of outside corners.
The lack of continuity at the position says as much about the ineffectiveness of the cornerbacks over that span as any explanation.
The Eagles don't want Patrick Robinson and Jalen Mills, who opened organized team activities as the starting cornerbacks Tuesday, to fail this season. But they would likely take one more year of turnover if it meant that rookies Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas were starting in 2018.
More than any position, the Eagles are willing to take their lumps there at the expense of building for the future. For far too many years they've relied on "Band-Aids" to cover up poor drafts and even worse free-agent signings at cornerback.
In drafting second-rounder Jones and Douglas, who was selected a round later, the Eagles made a commitment to starting from scratch. They just don't have one of the ingredients yet. Jones, who suffered an Achilles tendon rupture in March, is still months away from practicing.
But Douglas is ready, and one of the advantages of the Eagles' thin selection at corner is that the rookie is already getting repetitions with the first team. Whenever the defense was in its nickel personnel Tuesday, Mills moved into the slot and Douglas took his place on the outside.
"They're giving everybody an equal opportunity," Douglas said. "Today there was no ones, twos, threes. It was just wanting to see this group together. Tomorrow they might switch it all up."
The Eagles would like nothing better than for Douglas to beat out Robinson, who was signed to a veteran-minimum, one-year, $775,000 contract in March. That may be easy considering the former first-round pick's recent performances, but Robinson still has 49 career NFL starts to the rookie's zero.
Some Eagles fans rejoiced when the Eagles released Leodis McKelvin and declined to re-up free agent Nolan Carroll - last year's starters - this offseason. But Robinson is the definition of a "Band-Aid," and Mills didn't exactly do enough during his first season to suggest that he will be an upgrade.
But the former seventh-rounder did have his moments and he did consistently rebound from rough stretches. Even the best corners in the NFL are going to get beaten, and as defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has said, it's the ones who stay mentally tough despite those beatings who thrive in the NFL.
Mills' swagger has earned Schwartz's confidence in the 23-year-old.
"I'm staying as levelheaded as possible because regardless of where I am now, it means absolutely nothing," Mills said, "especially with how Coach Schwartz works."
A year ago, Mills made an immediate impression during spring workouts. But he was facing off against the likes of Chris Givens, Nelson Agholor, and Rueben Randle. His competition this May is steeper after the addition of receivers Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith.
In his first extensive action last season, Mills got beaten by then-Bear Jeffery on a double move that resulted in a 49-yard reception. But Jeffery did very little in the game after that catch. Mills had help, but his response to that adversity - he paced the Eagles with six tackles - led to consistent playing time the rest of the year.
In all, Mills was on the field for 661 of 1,020 snaps in 2016.
"It's going to be helpful for me going into the future, getting those live, game-speed experiences," Mills said, "especially with teams we've gone against every week."
Robinson, who spent his first five seasons with the Saints, is on his fourth team in as many years. He has been inconsistent. He has started 16 games only once in his career. Injuries have played a role. He said he's ready to turn the page.
"I'm just trying to play up to my ability, be more consistent," Robinson said. "I think the sky is still the limit. That's my goal."
Robinson said that Schwartz's defense isn't much different from ones he has played in before. He'll have to play a lot of man-to-man defense. He'll be asked to press at the line a fair amount. But he also once again must learn new terminology and learn to play alongside new teammates, even if he did spend four seasons in New Orleans with safety Malcolm Jenkins.
"He's an old-school vet. Savvy. Smart guy," Mills said of Robinson. "Calling plays out before they happen. You can tell he knows the game for sure."
Mills in the slot is an interesting development - if it stays. Ron Brooks, who is recovering from a ruptured quadriceps tendon suffered in October, could be the option there eventually. But Schwartz seems determined not to have Jenkins play in the slot as much as he did last year.
"Having Jenk . . . be that super-smart, savvy veteran on that back end," Mills said, "I think that calms everybody down."
Douglas then, in theory, would benefit from having Jenkins line up the secondary more often from over top than in the slot. The 6-foot-2, 209-pound rookie can't afford to lose a millisecond because speed isn't one of his top assets. But his ranginess - he said he has a 77-inch wingspan - is ideal for matching up against the increasing number of big NFL receivers like Jeffery.
"I'm not sure if everyone is just getting used to being back," Douglas said, "but the speed [of practice] hasn't been as big a jump as I thought it would be."
All in due time.
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