Eagles' Exec On CBs: ' That's A Position Of Strength'

Most Eagles fans think cornerback is a potential issue for the 2025 season.

GM Howie Roseman thinks differently.

"I think that sometimes we look at weaknesses in terms of strength. I've been here a long time. To have two young corners like [Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean], that's a position of strength," Roseman said. "And then we have a lot of guys at that position who are young, who have a lot of talent in their body.”

The Eagles kept six cornerbacks on their initial 53-man roster. The stalwarts, Mitchell and DeJean, are supported by three young players, trade pickup Jakorian Bennett, Kelee Ringo, and rookie Mac McWilliams, plus veteran insurance policy Adoree' Jackson.

”We start by having an outside corner in Quinyon, who we think is ready to take another jump and an unbelievable player,” Roseman said. “We have another corner in Cooper DeJean, who we think, again, is one of the best young corners in the league. And so I feel very fortunate to start that position there.

The real angst can be traced to the failure of Ringo to lock down the outside CB slot opposite Mitchell, prompting the August trade for Bennett.

“I'm excited about the corners that we have on this football team,” Roseman said. “So I kind of look at it a different way. “When you look at those guys, they have different skill sets, they have different strengths. You talk about Kelee, I mean Kelee is big, he's fast, he's strong. Kelee has shown that he's one of the best special teams players in this league, which I think is a huge thing for our football team. I probably take it a little bit differently about that position."

With the season opener a week away, the most likely starter is Jackson while Christian Parker and Vic Fangio continue to groom Bennett. Ringo will presumably try to rebuild his confidence on special teams after a poor summer on defense. The wild card is McWilliams, a rookie fifth-round pick with some inside-out versatility that Fangio has lauded for his natural football instincts.

"In terms of a clear-cut starter, I think that we’ve got a bunch of good players at the corner position,” Roseman said. "... "I think that that's a position we have strengthened numbers there, and I'm looking forward to seeing those guys play.”