The Philadelphia Eagles made an effort to revamp their roster this offseason with big additions like Saquon Barkley, Bryce Huff, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson. However, they haven’t addressed one area that Eagles fans were really hoping for: the cornerback rotation.
The Eagles’ secondary was a complete mess last season, especially in the second half of the season. The team ranked in the bottom five in all pass defense metrics, including passing yards, touchdowns, and passer rate. The main reasons for this were Darius Slay’s injury and James Bradberry being statistically one of the worst starting cornerbacks in the league.
Much to Philly fans’ dismay, general manager Howie Roseman didn’t make any moves to upgrade the rotation. Currently, Bradberry and Slay are projected to continue starting.
However, there is a chance the Eagles can still add another cornerback into the mix via the draft or free agency. Matt Holder of the Bleacher Report identified one free agent still available on the market for each team. His choice for Philadelphia was Stephon Gilmore of the Dallas Cowboys.
Gilmore is not only the best cornerback available right now, but he is also one of the best free agents still on the market. Despite turning 33 years old, the five-time Pro Bowler was still as good as ever last season, not missing any games and playing over 1,000 snaps. He only allowed a 55.8% completion rate when targeted and recorded 13 passes defended and two interceptions. On PFF, he graded higher than the entire Eagles’ cornerback rotation last season.
The Dallas Cowboys are making a huge mistake by letting Gilmore stay on the market for this long. They might have an elite cornerback room but allowing the two-time Super Bowl winner to sign with a divisional rival would nevertheless be a massive blow to them. Signing Gilmore might be worth it for the Eagles solely for that psychological edge it would give them over the Cowboys.
Regardless of what happens with Stephon Gilmore, the Cowboys and the Eagles will be in a fierce battle all season for the NFC East title. On FanDuel Sportsbook, they are neck and neck in terms of division odds with +125 for the Cowboys and +130 for the Eagles. Head over there now to take advantage of these odds. Don’t forget to claim your sign-up offer of $200 in bonus bets after your first winning wager.
