Who Makes The Cut: Safety
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Who Makes The Cut: Safety
Jeff McLane
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.
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)
