Eagles' young position group feeling pressure at OTAs with all eyes on them

Movement in the offseason has led the Philadelphia Eagles to go with new and younger starters. That's all by design.

The position group that saw the most changes after the team won the Super Bowl in February was the secondary. Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was traded to the Houston Texans. Cornerbacks Darius Slay and James Bradberry were released by the team, with Slay signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers. An underrated loss was nickel back Avonte Maddox, who signed with the Detroit Lions in free agency.

This has set up the younger players in the secondary to step up and become starters that the Eagles' coaching staff can develop. That's why OTAs will be an essential time for Philadelphia to determine who they have on their roster.

Eagles' secondary gets all the attention as the future starts now

CBS Sports writer Garrett Podell wrote an article on what to watch for with each NFC team going into OTAs. Podell is keeping a close eye on the Eagles' young secondary and how they will perform without some key veterans in the back.

"Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson is now a Houston Texan, and six-time Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay is now a Pittsburgh Steeler. That means the training wheels are now off for second-year cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, third-year cornerback Kelee Ringo and 2025 second-round pick safety Andrew Mukuba out of Texas. 

Their adjustment to starting roles in defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's scheme will be something to monitor throughout the offseason."

The good news for the Eagles is that Mitchell and DeJean have already proven their worth as two of the best young cornerbacks in the NFL. According to PFF, DeJean had the highest grade of the cornerbacks in the NFL last year with 86.3. Mitchell was slightly behind him, ranking eighth with a grade of 78.5.

Ringo has a chance to start as the third cornerback, but will have to compete with Adoree' Jackson for the last starting spot with Mitchell and DeJean. Jackson is more of the veteran with experience, but Ringo knows Fangio's defense, which is a significant advantage.

Another young defensive back who wasn't mentioned, but will make a difference in the secondary, is Sydney Brown. Last year, Brown had a PFF grade of 89.9 which was fourth among NFL safeties.

Brown and Mukuba will challenge each other for one of the safety positions to join forces with Reed Blankenship. It's expected that Blankenship will take over the leadership role for Gardner-Johnson and Slay.

This secondary has a lot to live up to after finishing first in the NFL last year in pass defense, allowing 174.2 yards per game. What Eagles fans know is that they have the talent to compete with any team in the NFL, and the young players are only going to get better.