Contractual structure may prevent the Philadelphia Eagles from moving on from both of their starting cornerbacks this offseason, but James Bradberry very clearly hit a wall in 2023 , and Darius Slay is entering his age-33 season following an injury-riddled fourth campaign in Midnight Green.
So cornerback is both a short and long-term need that Eagles general manager Howie Roseman will need to address this offseason. The guess here is that Slay is back, while the Eagles bite the bullet after a disastrous season from Bradberry and take the $15.238 million in dead cap space that would come from releasing him. That would leave the Eagles -- despite some impressive moments from Kelee Ringo in his rookie season -- looking for a second starting cornerback this offseason.
To that end, Pro Football Focus recently listed one free agent that each team should pursue this offseason, matching Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L'Jarius Sneed with the Eagles.
"No Eagles cornerback earned a PFF coverage grade of 70.0 or better in 2023. If the team wants to get back to contending after a disappointing final stretch to the 2023 season, they will have to invest in the position again," PFF wrote. "Sneed would be a big splash in that regard. He is a capable, physical cornerback from either the inside or the outside, earning PFF coverage grades of 70.0 or better in three of his four NFL seasons."
A fourth-round pick out of Louisiana Tech in 2020, Sneed has become one of the more impactful players on Steve Spagnuolo's defense. In his age-26 season, Sneed recorded 78 combined tackles, five tackles for a loss, three quarterback hits, two interceptions and a fumble recovery for the Chiefs.
Kansas City would probably like to keep Sneed this offseason, but general manager Brett Veach is slated to have only $29 million to play with this offseason. Clearly, adding an impact receiver will need to be near the top of the list for the Chiefs this offseason. And with the Chiefs likely to exercise Trent McDuffie's fifth-year option this offseason, he may ultimately be the cornerback that the team chooses to make a long-term investment in.
Obviously, whether the Eagles would be interested in Sneed or not will depend on what scheme the new defensive coordinator runs. But regardless of who is tabbed to lead the defense, investing in the back seven defensively will have the be a priority for Roseman.
As the Eagles have found out in recent history, making majors moves to acquire cornerbacks leads to mixed results. Slay and Asante Samuel proved to be successful additions. Nnamdi Asomugha, Byron Maxwell and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie didn't. But they may be left to play the odds at the position once again this offseason.
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