Injuries were a major issue for the Philadelphia Eagles secondary last season, leading to 3,798 yards through the air.

Adding Darius Slay in the offseason was supposed to help, but it wasn't enough to help the Eagles secondary get out of the middle of the pack.

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That could be why the group was ranked No. 20 among all secondaries in the NFL by Pro Football Focus, instead of what could have been much worse.

Led by Rodney McLeod, the Eagles' safety play wasn’t all that bad. They ranked sixth among the 32 safety units in coverage grade this season. However, the cornerback group — whether from the outside or in the slot — fared poorly. Philly produced the fourth-to-last coverage grade among all the cornerback units. Darius Slay was the highest-graded man in the group, but he still surrendered 1.4 yards per coverage snap on the outside (67th of 90 qualifiers).

 

Opposite Slay the Eagles really struggled with Avonte Maddox limited to just 10 games due to injury. A variety of unproven players also saw a lot of snaps across from Slay, like Michael Jacquet, Kevon Seymor, Trevor Williams and Craig James. Nickell Robey-Coleman was a disappointment as the teams slot corner after coming over as a free agent from the Rams, and Cre'Von LeBlanc was limted to just nine games due to injury.

While the safety position fared much better, Rodney McLeod tore his ACL for the second time and the group of Jalen Mills, K'Von Wallace, Rudy Ford and Marcus Epps were underwhelming.

The team needs to add upgrades opposite Slay, in the slot and might need a safety in case McLeod isn't able to get back to where he was before the injury.

They could look to upgrade the position at pick No. 6 with Alabama corner Patrick Surtain II.

Eagles First Round Draft Pick Busts

 

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