Eagles

Who’s starting opposite of Darius Slay?

The Philadelphia Eagles defense suffered last season and the play of the secondary was a big reason for that. The Eagles answered that in free agency by acquiring Darius Slay.

Slay is a true number one cornerback that can be relied on to cover the best wide receiver on the other team. Now games against players like Julio Jones and Amari Cooper won’t be complete obliterations by the opposing star wide receivers.

Slay for his career has 347 total tackles, 19 interceptions and a touchdown. Now that they have one side covered who is going to cover on the other side?

There will definitely be a position battle for the second cornerback spot during training camp. The Eagles signed Nickell Robey-Coleman for the slot position.

They hope to return to 2017 when they signed Patrick Robinson. Robinson proved to be an amazing signing. He had four interceptions that year. In the playoffs, he had a game-breaking interception against the Minnesota Vikings in which he returned for a touchdown.

Philadelphia hopes that they can get that same magic in Robey-Coleman. There are two viable options for the second corner spot though and they are Avante Maddox and Sidney Jones.

Sidney Jones

The Eagles hoped Jones would be farther along than he is now. Injuries though have stopped his progression. It has been tough for him to get on the field.

He was drafted in the second round in 2017 43rd overall. He did not play that whole year because he was injured with a torn Achilles. 

When the Eagles took him he had all the potential in the world and it was hoped that he would eventually become a starter.

Jones has that chance now to impress and obtain the second cornerback spot. For his career, he has 50 total tackles and two interceptions. All his interceptions came from last year.

During the end of last season, it seemed like he was catching his stride and he was making plays to help the Eagles win games. For the year he had eight passes defended.

He played a career-high 12 games last year and he had his best year as a pro. For him, it is just staying healthy. He was a second-round pick so he has talent that hasn’t been truly revealed yet. 

If he has luck with his injuries this year then watch out for him to try and nab the second corner spot.

Avonte Maddox

Based on production this looks like the right choice right now for the second cornerback spot. The Eagles are going with the theme of speed this season. They want to be faster than the opposition.

Inserting Maddox in that second spot will help that mindset. Maddox in the combine ran a 4.39 40 yard dash. Jones only ran a 4.47 40 yard dash.

The Eagles need speed on the outside at the corner position to help negate those big plays that happened so often last year. 

Maddox’s speed is definitely the reason for his success. He can stay with other receivers better because of his physical gifts. For his career, he has 82 tackles, two interceptions and 14 passes defended.

He has more experience and can be relied on as he has played 25 out of 32 possible career games.

Both players are young and they are talented but it looks like Maddox is the clear cut choice here. If the Eagles want more speed and durability than Maddox is their choice.

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