Eagles Have a Bright Future in the Secondary

Philadelphia Eagles rookie third-round pick Rasul Douglas was thrust into action after a pair of injuries left the Eagles secondary short-handed on Sunday.  

Douglas' play was the highlight for a secondary that was thought to be a weak-spot for the Eagles entering the year, especially after losing Ronald Darby in Week 1 to injury.

The future is certainly very bright for what the Eagles are hoping to build in the secondary.

Right now, it starts with Douglas.

Pressed into play due to injures, Douglas passed the test in his first NFL opportunity. While the coaching staff may not have completely trusted the 22-year-old, they had no choice but to use him - and he didn't disappoint.

"Rasul stepped in, and I thought he did a good job," Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said on Tuesday.

"He tackled well and made no mental mistakes. That's a tough duty against what they do offensively from read option, reverses to shovel passes to jet sweeps to all the different stuff, and it's a lot of moving parts. I was proud of him for that part of it."

Sunday was a strong indicator of the third-round pick having the pedigree to being an eventual starting corner in this league as he continues to learn and continue to get better.

"He's continuing to learn, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson said on Monday. " It was good that he got a week of practice with the game plan. And now moving forward, he'll get more opportunity to play and work in practice."

"He's so long. He's got great ball skills, and the confidence is just going to continue to grow with him. It was good to see him out there, and he did make some good plays."

The Eagles are hoping that Douglas, second-round pick Sidney Jones, along with last years seventh-round pick Jalen Mills and Darby, who are all 23-years old or younger - that the secondary soon becomes one of the strengths of the defense.

Darby has the skills to be a top level corner in the league, Mills already as plenty of experience and is starting in his second season, now Douglas is pushing for more playing time and when Jones is ready to play, the Eagles could have four young corners that can contribute.

The future seems bright in the Eagles’ secondary.