Fixing the Eagles' Defense: Defensive Backs

With defense being the hot button issue for the Eagles this off-season, we have been exploring what steps the front office can take to fix it. In this three part series, we examine the state of the current personnel, practical moves that would enhance the roster, and how labor uncertainty impacts these difficult decisions. In closing, a look at defensive backs—and check out the previous installments on the defensive line and linebackers.

The Eagles have quite a few needs this off-season, but are any bigger than the one at right cornerback? It was clear from the moment the club traded Sheldon Brown they would be seeking his successor sooner rather than later, but Ellis Hobbs was tagged as a stopgap while the front office focused their efforts on more immediate concerns.

When Hobbs was limited by a hip injury against Tennessee, and subsequently sustained a season-ending neck injury during a kick return weeks later, the band-aid fell off. If he came into the season as a stopgap, Dimitri Patterson finished it as a gaping hole. After watching the journeyman special teamer bumble about, there is no question the need is immediate this time around. Another way of putting it would be, "Highest priority."

Even another way of putting it would be, "Nnamdi Asomugha."

Are we maybe getting ahead of ourselves just a little bit?

There is absolutely no debating the fact that they must address this, and Asomugha is an incredible player. The Raider corner often flies under the radar because he doesn't fill up the box score with interceptions, and after all, he plays in Oakland. The truth is, he is arguably the best corner in football.

The main reason Asomugha doesn't have the numbers is because teams rarely throw at him. Don't listen to this "He's not a playmaker" nonsense. According to Football Outsiders Alamanc, every corner who started at least 12 games in 2009 had more than twice as many targets as Asomugha. It's sort of difficult to make plays when the quarterback won't even look in your direction. He is shutdown in every sense of the word.

Asomugha is a complete player with whom the only concerns are age—he'll be 30—and contract demands. Age isn't too big a deal, as corners typically have a longer shelf life, so he probably has at least a few productive years until he regresses to merely good. Even outrageous amounts of money ordinarily would not be an issue for an organization that's been known to spring for blue chip free agents.

The problem is the Eagles already have a sizable chunk of money invested in Asante Samuel. Samuel's contract, which lasts through 2013, pays him an average of nearly $10 million per year. Asomugha's most recent deal with the Raiders averaged over $15 mil. It goes without saying, but that is a lot of cash to invest in a pair of 30-something corners.

Samuel's contract is set up in such a way the team could release him after 2011 and take a minimal cap hit, but as long as he is still playing at a high level, why would they want to do that? Moving him might not be easy either, as trades are often accompanied by contract extensions. Plus, he's a leader in the locker room, and the turnovers he creates are game changing. Asomugha is better, but the idea of parting with Samuel to make room doesn't seem worth the trouble.

It's not a matter of being cheap either, but calculated. If the Eagles are going to go out and sign other big names to fill out the rest of the roster, guys like Albert Haynesworth or Logan Mankins, not to mention extend their own players, such as Mike Vick and DeSean Jackson, there needs to be some flexibility to do all of that. If upwards of $25 million are split between two corners, those other moves become increasingly difficult to make.

That's not an argument for or against, it's simply the real world economics of building and maintaining a football team.

Digging through the ashes

Hobbs' career is likely over, and he and Patterson are both set to become free agents, not that there is any reason to bring them back. However, if the Eagles intend to avoid taking the free agency route, there may be another option still on their roster. And no, it's not Joselio Hanson.

The man of mystery in this equation is Trevard Lindley. The Eagles found the Kentucky product sitting in the fourth round of last season's draft, which was probably a pleasant surprise. Lindley's grade was higher the previous season, when some analysts thought he could go as high as the first round, but a high ankle sprain limited him in 2009, and his stock fell.

The problem is, we don't know much about the fella. He saw some extended playing time in a several games during his rookie season, but the coaches never indicated they would start him over Patterson, even when that experiment was at its worst.

It's hard to say what that actually means. The logical conclusion would have to be maybe he just isn't that good, or at best, not ready yet. Under closer examination, it's possible it's part of the coach's philosophy. The Eagles have been hesitant to start rookies in the past, and good examples at the corner position would be Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown, first and second round picks who didn't see a ton of action until their third seasons in the league.

Then again, those two guys were playing behind Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor, so perhaps that's not the greatest example.

Signs point to...

If the Eagles can grab somebody who is ready to go from day one, they could draft their next right cornerback. The obvious hurdle there is choosing way down at number 23, though the organization is known for moving up and installing rookies as starters (Shawn Andrews, Jeremy Maclin, Brandon Graham) to varying degrees of success.

No matter how they choose to address the opening, corner will likely be high on the list come draft day. The secondary is an area the Eagles have emphasized throughout the Reid era, and never has it been more perilously thin. If Asomugha is the answer, they'll need somebody for when the day comes for Samuel's exit. If Lindley is the choice, they need somebody backing him up, or in case he actually is a flop.

And of course, they just plain need depth with Samuel and Hanson being the only two veteran corners on the roster. We'll see how it shakes it out, but anticipate a premium being placed on developing another young cornerback of the future.

Q is short for Question too

Since Brian Dawkins departed, the Eagles' defensive backfield looks like the boat that springs a leak, and as soon as that hole is plugged, another one pops up. You got Nate Allen? Whoops, there goes Sheldon. This year, will they seal the right corner only to spring a leak at strong safety?

That's just a clever way of saying (or not) Quintin Mikell is a free agent, which is sort of an "Oh, great" moment with all their other needs. It's not that he's even a player they can't live without, but at least he's competent. Some observers believe he's much more, as Pro Football Focus declared him their top-ranked safety in a Pro Bowl snubs story, citing his high marks in run support and leading all safeties in passes deflected.

What Mikell can give them right now more than anything else is stability. He's a decent player, a little inconsistent, but he brings it every week. Plus, the last thing that the Eagles need right now is another hole. They should get a deal done, because really, what is the alternative?

The only other viable safety on the roster is Kurt Coleman, who took over for Allen after injury claimed his season. The seventh rounder out of Ohio State is a willing tackler and was getting plenty of playing time even prior to Allen going down, but is he prepared for that kind of role? Mikell himself was an undrafted player, but he languished as a special teamer for four years before stepping into the starting role, and look who he replaced: Sean Considine.

Coleman seems like risky business for a club that's trying to jump from a transitional state to one where they are considered a legitimate contender, especially starting along side another second year safety. Trouble is, Mikell may very well wind up being the best free agent safety on the market, so a hefty extension might be in order. A duo of Mikell and Allen for the next several years may not be the sexiest combo, but it might be best to keep the ship afloat.